


Cyclum Infinitum

by BlackDragon741



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Awkward Flirting, Bad Jokes, F/M, Family, Female-reader - Freeform, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Burn, will add tags as story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-04-29 08:58:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5122445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackDragon741/pseuds/BlackDragon741
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The never ending time anomaly in the Underground never ceased to bring Frisk back. No matter what route they chose, or how they died, they always came back eventually. However, the cycles have begun to change dramatically as a new variable is added. </p><p>This time, another human falls into Underground with Frisk. They both struggle to make it to the end but it seems like a hellhound is on their trail and stopping them at every turn. </p><p>Is a true ending even possible anymore? Or will it always end with the inevitable reset?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fragile Sanctuary

**Author's Note:**

> So uhh... I don't do this writing thing very often, so I'd really appreciate some feedback! Please let me know if this is something worth continuing, it would certainly be motivating :D
> 
> If you're interested, you can check me out on the tumblr--- http://scarlet-skelly.tumblr.com/

Ch. 1

Fragile Sanctuary

It was a beautiful day, birds were singing, flowers were blooming… on days like these, kids like Frisk should be playing outside. 

You had just finished setting up camp when Frisk came bounding towards you, smiling bright and wide. As they crashed into you for a hug, you smiled as they said excitingly, “Thank you, Auntie!”

You laughed under your breath and patted the kid on their head, “Ah, no problem, sweetheart. Although, why you wanted to camp on Mt. Ebott of all places is beyond me.”

The mountain wasn’t necessarily a prime spot for camping, since there were warnings of sinkholes and its history of disappearances over the years. But it was out of the way and far enough from the city to provide isolation. Besides, Frisk was very insistent that they must go camping here. At this point, you were just glad to get away from everyone and have a relaxing weekend with Frisk; you almost never saw them anymore. It provided at good opportunity to bond. 

They had also been adamant about wearing a long sleeved shirt with pants for the trip, despite it being in the middle of summer. As much as you tried to dissuade them, they didn’t budge; stubbornness seemed to run in the family because you still packed a change of clothes for them anyways. Frisk had already been running around wildly as if it was their first trip out into the wilderness, which it could be, for all you knew. As you looked up, you remembered climbing trees as a kid and getting absolutely covered in dirt before returning home. Frisk deserved that experience too. 

You decided to pass the time by sitting back in a fold-out chair and reading a book. It was so pleasant to just… relax. No responsibilities, no work, and no loud noises. That is- if you didn’t count keeping an eye on the kiddo and their loud shrieks of joy. At this point, they were swinging a stick around at some invisible enemy. You assumed they were pretending to be a knight by the way they marched about with it and demanded bridge tolls. You weren’t even reading for ten minutes before Frisk stood at attention before you and yelled, “En garde!”

Frisk pointed the stick at your direction and you smiled wide in response, “Are you challenging me to a duel?”

They grinned and nodded their head excitingly. You jumped up, abandoning your book and grabbed the nearest stick in response. You held it reverently in a mock fighting pose and spoke with an old English accent, “Raise thy sword, mighty knight!”

Frisk squealed in delight and charged forth. You began to pretend fight each other with stick clanging against one another. You repetitively dodged each exaggerated swing of their ‘sword’ and always missed your own attacks on purpose. Other times, you would feign exhaustion and barely block their attacks. It didn’t take long before Frisk landed a tap against your leg with their stick and you doubled over in pseudo pain, “Ah, you got me!”

You laid yourself upon the ground and Frisk laughed as their jumped about, cheering their victory, “I did it! I did it!”

You couldn’t contain your grin as you laid face down on the ground, it was just too sweet. Somehow, children’s happiness was contagious and it was nice to see just how excited they can get over the little things. 

As you flipped over and began to sit up, Frisk smiled down at you and said, “You’re the best, Auntie!”

Smiling, you responded, “Only the best for you, sweetie.”

They giggled and trotted off to other imaginary adventures. As you stood up and patted the dirt off your clothes, you recovered your abandoned book from the ground to resume reading. The rest of the day played off fairly quietly with you looking up every once in a while to make sure Frisk was still in sight. 

It had been so long since you’ve had a day like this. Between work and college, you hardly had time to sit back and relax. Days mostly comprised of cashiering at the local supermarket, doing pages of bookwork for class, and studying for weekly tests. It was the first real time you could take a small vacation and see your sister’s kid. As much as you loved your sister, they had some issues that made relations difficult. But she needed a babysitter for the weekend and you were more than happy to watch the little kid. Besides, it was much more entertaining this way than camping alone. 

As the summer evening began to set in, the chirping of bugs filled the atmosphere and the singing of birds quieted down. You took the time to set up a fire and retrieve food from the cooler to cook. When you finished setting up the campfire and prepping dinner, you looked around for Frisk. They were strangely nowhere in sight, “Frisk?”

You listened intently for some form of response, but none came. Panic crept into your chest as you felt your heart clench, “Frisk?!” you called out louder this time. 

Still no response.

Frantically, you searched the borders of the small campsite and peeked up and around the bushes for the kid. Internally, you hoped that it was just some poorly planned prank that they were pulling. Perhaps they were just hiding somewhere and secretly giggling to themselves as you wigged out and searched for them. You smiled weakly to reassure yourself as you began to walk into the thick brushes of the woods, “Hah… you got me Frisk! This is a pretty good game of hide-and-seek! You win again!”

But no mischievous laughs were to be heard and genuine fear took over. “Frisk, you come out now or… or you don’t get dinner! Don’t you want marshmallows tonight? Or S’mores? None of that if you don’t get your lil’ butt over here!”

More silence.

Your breathing became quicker as your start to frantically search further into the woods, “Oh no… nononono… Frisk!” you begin to yell, “Frisk! Come back!” Your words echo throughout the forest. 

Terrible thoughts of a wolf or bear attacking them take over your mind and you barely keep yourself from crying out of fear. Or what if they fell into one of those sink holes? _‘Damn it!’_ you thought bitterly, _‘I knew I this was a bad idea!’_

You marched through the brushes of the thick foliage and repetitively called out Frisk name in hope they would respond, but only the sounds of the crinkling leaves underneath your feet were heard. Weaving in and around the trees and bushes, you realized that you didn’t even know which direction they may have run off to. The thickness of the trees made it impossible to see far ahead as well. It took all of your internal efforts to avoid descending into a panic attack and keeping your head straight and focus on your search effort. The day was taking a turn you hadn’t anticipated and you felt guilty this had happened at all. 

The sun was setting by now and the sky was little more than dark blue with hues of pink, orange and yellow. Visibility was faltering in the shadows of the tree branches and you knew that if Frisk wasn’t found soon, you’d never be able to navigate the forest at night. By now, you were too far from the camp to just turn around and grab a flashlight. Your voice was getting tired of calling out and your heart was getting tired of not hearing a response. 

As the forest continued to darken, you finally heard some hint of life; the noise of leaves being disrupted up ahead. Some glimmer of hope rose as you put the last bits of your energy into sprinting, “Frisk!”

The sound of leaves moving stopped momentarily before continuing. You tore through the interfering branches of small trees and bushes. Soon, the barely visible form of Frisk was running not too far up ahead of you. A small bit of anger prickled in the back of your neck as you yelled, “Frisk! You come back here, _right now!_ ”

The flinching of Frisk’s shoulders was apparent as they barreled away as fast as their little legs could carry them. But they had the advantage of being able to duck under all the foliage in their way. You growled as your avoided leaves and branches the best you could, gaining in proximity to the runaway child. 

By some twist of fate, you tripped over an offending tree root and landed hard on the ground. Your jaw painfully clamped shut against the ground and you groaned. The tumbling of footsteps began to get further away again and you willed yourself to your feet, ignoring the ache in your jaw and knees. Breathing heavily from exhaustion, you began to run after them once more, “That kid is in _so_ much trouble!”

There was little light left in the woods and you stopped for a moment to listen for Frisk’s running pace. The trip had well… tripped up your sense of direction and left you scanning the environment with strained eyes for some hint to their position. But nothing was heard or seen. You cursed to yourself and carefully watched your footing as your ventured further into the unknown. It didn’t take long before the anger melted back into the previous feeling of anxiety eating away in your stomach and chest. 

Practically nighttime, you had absolutely no way of seeing anything anymore. 

Your shoulders trembled and tears pricked at your eyes as you wondered why the hell they had run off at all. You weren’t a terrible aunt, were you? If something was wrong, Frisk would’ve told you… right?

Your pace became sluggish as your tromped through the underbrush, feeling lost. When your next step suddenly left you falling, all thought ceased to function. One moment, you’re hopelessly wandering the woods, the next- you’re falling into oblivion. You hadn’t even seen the gaping hole amongst the dark ground. _‘I don’t want to die!’_ you thought, just before the darkness consumed you. 

\----------------

The first thing you noticed when coming back into consciousness was pain. Your entire body ached something fierce and felt like and entire truck decided to park on top of you. As you groaned and sat up, two voices where clearly speaking and it took a moment before you could process what they were saying. Small hands gripped your shoulder and as you looked up, you were met face to face with Frisk. 

A flurry of emotions pass through- relief, anger, sadness, and love. You didn’t know which to feel first or which was the most appropriate. In the end, you decided relief would be best for now as you pulled them into a tight embrace, “Oh thank god! I thought I had lost you!”

Frisk nuzzled into the crook of your neck and returned the hug fully. Heavy footsteps approached soon after. Looking up, you flinched almost violently at the appearance of a… goat? At least you thought it was a goat. It had white fur with floppy ears with little horns. It was looking down at you with a pleasantly surprised expression, “Oh my, two humans?” Your eyes locked onto the creature’s fangs as it spoke. 

Frisk nodded and held on close to you, “Mhmm! This is my auntie!”

The goat-thing turned to you and offered a gentle smile, “Oh! Well then, it’s very nice to meet you. I am Toriel.” Her voice matched her smile and sounded like something sweet.

As she offered a hand, you could only manage a dumb stare before mumbling out your own name in reply. You looked hesitantly between Frisk and Toriel before taking her hand, the sensation of her fur against your bare hand was odd, yet comforting. Toriel helped you to your feet and you couldn’t help but ask, “What… are you?”

Toriel smiles almost sadly, “I am a monster. I come here frequently to check for any humans that may have fallen into the Underground.”

Old memories crept into the forefront of your mind. Just barely could you recall the children’s story about a war long ago where humans drove monsters underneath the Earth to banishment. But… that was supposed to just be a fairy tale, right? Something parents just said to help their kids fall asleep and to not worry about the monsters being in their closet, or under their bed. You looked up and could barely see the leftover light from the surface. Suddenly, the stories of missing people on Mt. Ebott made sense. With dread, you met Toriel’s eyes, “Just how many people have fallen down here?”

“Seven.” She replied solemnly. 

_‘Holy shit.’_ You thought. Things were getting real bad really quick. You swallowed thickly and Toriel began to back away, “Come now, I will guide you both through the catacombs.” 

Frisk excitingly grabbed your hand and pulled you along. Even now, your mind was still reeling from the sudden change of events. One moment you were on a chase through the woods, the next- underground and talking to a pretty goat woman. Or well… you though she might be pretty. Something about those horns made you really want to touch them. It almost reminded you of the time you went to a petting zoo and adored how cute the pet goat’s horns were. Anyways, sometime you’ll have to scold Frisk for what they did. Running away like that was dangerous and… _‘What if I hadn’t found them? What if I didn’t fall into that hole too?’_ The thought almost hurt. What really hurt was wondering why Frisk had ran off like that in the first place.

You tightened your grip on Frisk’s hand and looked down at them with a warning, “Stay close to me, understood?”

Obliviously, they smiled and nodded. The skipped along as Toriel showed the two of you through what appeared to be ruins of an old city. The architecture was absurdly old and reminded you of old English castles. It felt almost impossible to believe- an entire city underneath Mt. Ebott! There were… puzzles everywhere. It was odd, to be completely honest, but somehow fascinating. Frisk seemed to be enjoying themselves more than they had at the camp. Toriel had been gently guiding the two of you through each obstacle. Very clearly labeling what must be done. You sat back and let Frisk run about and have the time of their life with it all. Besides, you were still busy wrapping your head around the situation. It was difficult to tell if you were still in shock, or had enough control over your emotions to not freak out. 

When Toriel eventually parted ways to move on ahead, you accepted the cell phone, an old flip phone that looked years out of date, and promised to keep watch of Frisk. There was no way that mischievous child was running away again. There were some encounters with monsters that Frisk called ‘froggits’. It was… kinda cute actually. Although the term ‘monster’ didn’t really seem to apply- most people use that word to describe something terrifying or evil. But this… this was just a frog. 

With encouraging words, neither you nor Frisk ever had to truly defend yourselves. Most of whatever fear you had felt at the beginning was fading away into something… greater. It felt like courage, like confidence, like… determination.

\-------------

Upon arriving at Toriel’s home, the scent of butterscotch and cinnamon permeated the air. You smelled around appreciatively and Frisk pattered over to Toriel in greeting. They slammed themselves into her tall form and the monster looked down at them with an expression you could only describe as motherly. She wasn’t just a goat. She was goat-mom. 

She had showed the two of you into a guest room which Frisk had happily began to jump upon the bed. Toriel rushed off to attend to whatever she believed was burning in the kitchen and you leaned against the bedframe, feeling pensive. Frisk giggled as they hopped about on the plush mattress, you almost hated bringing up the upcoming subject. With a sigh, you sat on the bed and beckoned them to join you. When they finally calmed down a bit and sat down, you wrapped your arm around their little shoulders, “Frisk, we need to talk.” You put on your best ‘mom’ voice- which was hard to do when you didn’t have any children of your own.

They seemed to already know what was coming and looked down at the floor with a pout. You continued, “Why did you run off like that at the camp?”

Frisk shrugged their shoulders and refused to meet eye contact. 

“You can’t run out of my sight like that ever again, understood? I almost lost you. Why did you even run off like that in the first place?”

They shrugged their shoulders, “I dunno. I… I felt like I had to go. Like I had someplace to be.” Getting a straight answer out of Frisk was like pulling teeth from a rooster.

“Go where?”

Frink simply shrugged their shoulders again without further elaboration. You rubbed your head with your other hand and let out a quiet sigh. You were the last person to know how to discipline Frisk properly, and besides, it all sort of worked out, didn’t it? Neither of you were dead, and Frisk was safe and sound most importantly. Still…  
You paused for a moment softly said, “What if I hadn’t found you? You’d be down here all alone.”

“Nu-uh! I’d have Momma with me!” They looked up at you almost sadly.

Momma? Oh… She meant Toriel…“Frisk,” you sighed, “You have a mom. What were you going to do? Stay down here forever?”

They looked back down at the floor. You could almost hear the sound of their pouting. You gently squeezed your arm around them, “Just… just stay close to me and be safe, okay? I love you, sweetheart.”

Frisk leaned their head against you and offered a hug back, “I love you too, Auntie.”

You sat there for a bit longer before the child wriggled out of your grasp. Kids like that just couldn’t sit still for long. You smiled gently before they trampled out of the room. Following suit, you walked out of the room and met up with Toriel. The monster was sitting in an armchair chair and sporting a pair of reading glasses. She was reading a book and you just barely caught glimpse of Frisk’s mop of hair as they dashed into another room- presumably the kitchen? 

The living room was amazingly cozy with the fireplace and wooden décor. Every piece of furniture appeared to be handcrafted with elegance and the flooring was polished beautifully. An impressive bookcase was fully stacked beside the fireplace, a single gaping hole which you assumed was the book Toriel had in her hands at the moment. As you awkwardly stood there and observed the room, you noticed that Toriel was staring at you with a smile. 

You weakly offered a smile back and sat down in one of the dining chairs, “So uh… this is a beautiful house.”

“Why thank you, I’m sure the two of you will love it here.” Her face and voice were thick with kindness and sincerity.

“Er… what?” It almost sounded like Toriel expected you and Frisk to stay, “I’m sorry but… what do you mean?” You questioned with caution, you almost feared her answer. 

Toriel’s burgundy eyes flicked from her book to you and then back, her shoulders squared with tension and yet her smile remained, “I do so hope you’ll enjoy it here. I even have an educational curriculum prepared for the young one.” She laughed gently, “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, after all.” 

Your thoughts were reeling at her words and your lips parted in shock. She couldn’t be serious after all, right? You couldn’t just _stay_ here, this wasn’t your home- you already had one! A home you worked damn hard to earn and keep. 

“I’m sorry but… we can’t just stay here. I have to take Frisk back to their home.” You forced the words out while trying not to sound rude. This woman had so far been nothing but kind and generous, after all. 

Her face fell slightly and she steadily closed the book, resting it upon her lap. She seemed to be mulling over her thoughts and it took a moment before her response came, “But _this_ is your home now.” She attempted to recover her previous smile. 

Almost guiltily, you remembered that Stephen King movie where James Caan was held hostage and a crazy lady broke his leg with a sledgehammer. You resisted the urge to flinch. The thumping of shoes grabbed your attention as Frisk ran into the room with a plate of pie. It smelled delicious. They took a seat at the table and immediately began to shovel the pie’s contents into their mouth. Toriel chuckled quietly and re-opened her book, “I hope you like it. It was left in for a bit too long, but I managed to save it.”

Frisk smiled at her with full cheeks and hummed appreciatively. Your mouth twitched upwards a bit and Toriel then seemed to address you, “You may have some as well, there’s plenty leftover.”

You considered it for a moment, knowing that it had been a long time since your last meal, but your stomach was queasy from the current events and the idea of food only created nausea, so you had to turn down the offer. The silence was filled only with the sounds of Frisk’s silverware clanging against the plate and once you reminded them to chew with their mouth shut. Toriel continued to quietly read her book in her chair. 

The subtle awkwardness continued to loom over your head and you wondered if Toriel felt it as well. Although the scene should’ve inspired comfort or warmth, you couldn’t help but feel stiff. Toriel’s shoulders still hadn’t relaxed. Neither had yours. There was a huge metaphorical elephant in the room and everyone was ignoring it. Except Frisk perhaps- they seemed quite content with their dessert. 

When Frisk finished their pie, Toriel offered to take the plate back into the kitchen to clean it. You patted the kid on their back, “Hey sweetie, you’ve gotta be tired. How about some sleep?” It was nighttime when you both fell down into the hole, after all.

They nodded and sleepily yawned. Holding their hand, you guided them back to the guest room and began to tuck them in. Although you didn’t want to stay, you decided that for now it would be a good idea to rest while you had the chance. Besides, Frisk was exhausted. As Frisk settled in, they looked up at you, “G’night, Auntie.” They smiled sweetly and you returned it. 

You ran your fingers through their hair and tucked a lock of it behind their ear before humming out a quiet melody. Your hums melt into some soft words as you continued to play with Frisk hair. It seemed to be working at least when their eyes lazily closed. You looped around with the song until their breathing deepened and you were sure they had fallen asleep. 

Looking around the bedroom, you noticed that it looked like it used to be a kid’s room. The furniture in the room was somehow brighter and happier compared to the rest of the house and there was a box of children’s toys at the foot of the bed, accompanied by some large stuffed animals on the floor beside the twin sized bed. They were odd shaped and didn’t look like any animal you’ve seen before, perhaps a dog? As you scanned the room, you stopped short at the small picture frame sitting on top of the dresser. Your heart ached when you realized it was empty. Was Toriel a mother? Or did she… used to be a mother? You frowned and shifted uncomfortably at the thought. Somehow, you felt that it was the later and not the former. 

Quietly, you turned off the bedroom’s lamp and exited the room, leaving the door cracked open just enough for the hallway’s light to leak in. 

You loitered by the door for a few minutes before re-joining Toriel in the living room. Upon reseating yourself in the dining chair, she looked up and asked, “Is the child sleeping?”

Nodding, you attempted to appear comfortable and worked your thoughts for a moment. It was time to address that absurd elephant, but how? How were you supposed to say this? Like- ‘hey, thanks for helping us, but we’re gonna hop on out now.’ It felt… ungrateful. But it was unfortunately true. You had responsibilities like work, college, family, and… friend. And Frisk’s parents would be worried sick if they found out you both disappeared. Especially on a mountain that was renowned for disappearances. Real smart move on your part, really. Seriously, _‘Oh yeah! Let’s totally go camping on the spooky mountain that any normal person avoids!’_

Damn you Frisk. 

Somehow, this whole escapade felt like it was staged or something. Or what you’d expect to read in a cheesy romance novel… without the romance. Just you, Frisk, and a hot goat-mom. 

Awkward. 

You tapped your fingers against your knee in though before Toriel interrupted your thoughts, “I understand why you want to leave.” You looked up and see her sadly staring down, not even reading the book, “But it’s too dangerous…”  


“Dangerous?” 

Toriel’s expression drifted off to something that resembled sorrow, “As I have said. There have been six humans previous to you that have fallen to the Underground. And each and every one of them has met the same fate.” Her eyes drifted up to meet yours, “Death.” 

A small twinge of unease chilled your spine as you held Toriel’s dark gaze. She continued to speak, “They come, they leave, they die." 

Your lips twitched and you could feel the weight of your brows as they lowered in confusion, “W-why?” You licked your lips and cleared your throat. 

“Asgore… he will kill you.” Her voice held little emotion.

It was an odd name, Asgore. Certainly nothing similar to your common Jane or Joe. “Who’s Asgore?” You almost didn’t want to know. 

She leaned back into her reading chair and seemed to lose herself in a memory. You patiently waited for a response, but none came. Somehow, you felt like it was a subject not to be breached. Perhaps she knew him personally? Part of you wished for a normal conversation with this woman. But considering the situation, it felt impossible. Under different circumstances, perhaps the two of you would have been friends. It was an odd thought- being friends with a monster. Until now, you didn’t even consider them to be real. 

Toriel then looked up at you again with a strained smile, “But you’re safe here. I will keep you both safe. There’s nothing to be feared.” 

Her words, although reassuring, felt forced and you didn’t really know what to think. You could tell that she was trying very hard to keep a positive atmosphere. Perhaps she was denying something. Or maybe she was unwilling to face a reality she didn’t want. Toriel was not human, but her body language cues were just as easily read as a human’s. You wondered what she was so afraid of. With a sigh, you retreat once more to the guest room. You weren’t sure if it was cowardliness or defeat that led you there, but you didn’t want to be any more rude to Toriel’s hospitality. As you lay on the bed beside Frisk, you stare at the kid’s shadowy profile. You take solace in the fact that for now, they are safe, and that…fills you with determination. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://scarlet-skelly.tumblr.com/


	2. Heartaches by the Number

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original length: 3,681  
> New length: 3,891  
> Sentence fixes: 18  
> Paragraphs added: 2  
> New dialogue: 3

You groan as you awaken from the night’s sleep, still feeling stiff from the fall. _‘Oh right… that fall…’_ You frown and rub your hands against your face as you recall your current dilemma. One moment, enjoying a pleasant camping trip; the next, wandering underground surrounded by monsters. It was funny how quickly life can change. Actually, it wasn’t really that funny. It sucked.

You looked over and saw that Frisk had kicked almost all of the bedsheets onto the floor and was sprawled out in a deep sleep. As nice as this place seemed, you knew that neither of you could stay. The thought of repeating that conversation with Toriel filled you with guilt and dread. But she had to understand why, there was no other way. Some responsibilities just couldn’t be abandoned.

As you sat up in the bed, Frisk beside you mumbled incoherently and then rolled over. You sighed and shook their shoulder a bit, “Frisk? C’mon sweetie, we gotta get up now.”

They mumbled some more and refused to budge. Frisk has always been a heavy sleeper. You smirked a bit and carefully got out of bed around them. After another attempt to wake them, you simply shook your head and decided to find and talk to Toriel first. A few more minutes wouldn’t be too bad for the kid. You creep out of the dark room and brace yourself for facing Toriel. Straightening your shoulders and chin up, you walk into the living room. Oddly enough, the room was empty. The fireplace still crackled in a homely manner, and the chair you previously sat in last night was pushed back into the table. Stepping into the kitchen, you find that it is also empty. _‘Probably in her bedroom?’_ It was more than likely true. Walking back into the hallway, you think about how rude it would be to knock and wake Toriel by accident. But there was a small feeling of trepidation in your gut that you couldn’t explain.

You hovered in front of what you assume to be Toriel’s bedroom for a moment, hand raised in an almost-knock as you internally rehearsed what you were going to say. You take a deep breath and tentatively rap your knuckles against the aged wood. After a pause of silence, you knock louder, “Toriel?”

Still nothing, so you press your ear against the door for any sign of movement inside the room. By now, you felt almost like you were skulking. Slowly, you turn the handle and open the door. When no sounds of protest came, you fully opened the door and looked around. The room looked pretty similar to the guest bedroom and was very organized. It was also very empty. You frown and close the door without wanting to intrude upon Toriel’s personal space.

You frown as you wonder where she may have gone. Then, a small noise to your left grabs your attention. Looking over, you see Frisk standing in the hallway and rubbing their eyes sleepily, “Auntie?”

You offer a smile and walk over, “Oh good, you’re awake. Did you sleep alright?”

Frisk looks up at you and nods before yawning widely and then saying, “When are we leaving, Auntie?”  


You tilt you head a bit and stare at Frisk with interest, “You want to leave?” It was an unexpected change of heart considering the previous night they seemed to be content with the situation. 

They looked down for a bit and fiddled with their hands, “Not really but… I know we gotta. They’re waiting for me.”  


Your eyebrows lower and a frown touches your lips, “…Who’s waiting for you, Frisk?” It felt like an odd thing for them to say. It reminded you of when Frisk insisted they ‘had somewhere to be’ last night.  


Frisk shrugs and you couldn't discern if they’re telling the truth. Their signals were confused and yet knowing at the same time. Frisk never was really good at describing how they felt to begin with. You kneel down and put a comforting hand on their shoulder, 

“Frisk, can you look at me?” As they did, you continued, “If there’s anything bothering you. Or if you’re scare or confused, I’ll listen, okay? Auntie’s a good listener, I promise.” You offer up a pinky with a smile.  


They smile back and complete the pinky promise, “Okay.”  


You nod, “Okay. Now let’s go find Toriel. We’re going to say goodbye and thank her for letting us stay.”  


Frisk nods as well and grabs your hand. They lead you down the hallway and you feel a bit surprised of them guiding you like this, "Whoa, you okay there? What's up?" Although Frisk didn't respond, it’s not like they’d know where she was. The two of you end up descending downstairs into what was… definitely not a basement. A long corridor of stone walls stretched onwards. It was unsettlingly dark and you almost trip as Frisk continues to drag you, “Hey, hey! Slow down, kid. I don’t wanna trip over you.”  


They barely let up on their tug and keep marching forth. For a child, they had quite the arm on them. The corridor felt absurdly long and eventually turned unexpectedly. Rounding the corner, you faintly see the silhouette of Toriel at the end of the hall, her white fur obvious in the dimness, “Toriel?”  


She had a single hand raised up at a large set of duel doors. They were tall with a peculiar symbol painted upon its surface. You realize that it is the same symbol on Toriel’s robe. Did she guard this door? As she heard her name being called, she turned around. Her expression was no longer the sweet and kind one she wore when you met. Now, she appeared indifferent, or at least some kind of forced apathy, “Turn back, both of you. I cannot allow you to continue.”  


You narrow your eyes at her with scrutiny, “Why not? What’s beyond that door?”  


Frisk’s grip on your hand squeezes a bit as Toriel answers, “This door leads to the rest of the underground. You will not be safe if you leave the ruins. I must destroy this door. It is for your protection.” Toriel’s voice was hollow.  


“Tori…” Frisk’s small voice was sad, “We gotta go. We can’t stay.”  


“This is your final warning.” Toriel’s hand rose menacingly in your direction.  


You step forward a bit in front of Frisk, feeling both afraid and protective all at once, “I’m very grateful for all you’ve done, Toriel. But we can’t just stay down here in this place forever. We have lives to return to on the surface. Our family will be worried sick if we’re missing for too long.” You attempted to keep your voice steady, swallowing down the fear you felt.  


Toriel’s hand only lowered for a second in hesitation before a familiar blaze of fire emerged from it. Your heart felt like it had jumped up into your throat. Immediately, you let go of Frisk’s hand and step completely in front of them, arms outstretched to protect them. Toriel was a monster after all, perhaps it shouldn’t have been so surprising she can do… magic-fire-stuff. You suddenly felt like you were in Harry Potter or something. Toriel’s eyes narrowed and spoke with a powerful voice, “If you truly wish to leave… you must prove that you can remain safe, Frisk.”  


You felt a bit put off at Toriel ignoring you, “Frisk will be fine. I wouldn’t let anything happen to them! They’re my family!”  


“That’s not enough. I can feel your soul human, you are strong. But you cannot fully guarantee the child’s safety. What would happen if the two of you are separated? How can you protect them then? No, Frisk must prove that they can handle themselves alone.”  


“That’s…” You grit your teeth and glare at her, “No! I won’t leave them! I-“You’re words are interrupted as a small hand pats your leg.  


Looking down, you see Frisk staring up at you with a brave face, “Auntie… I can do it!”  


“W-What?” Your entire body was tense and shaking now, “Frisk, you’re just a kid. That woman could hurt you! Don’t you know to be afraid of fire?”  


Frisk shakes their head and grins widely, “I’m not scared! Tori’s nice! She won’t kill me!”  


Every fiber of your being wanted to yell ‘no’ and lock Frisk away somewhere safe. But that thought made you feel no different than Toriel. Somehow, Frisk would have to learn how to be independent and perhaps… Toriel was right. What if you lose Frisk again? What if they run off and you’re not there to protect them anymore? They had almost fallen into this hole without you. They would’ve been here right now facing this challenge alone regardless.  


Conflicted, you lower your arms and look down at the stone floor, unsure of how to continue, “I… I… Frisk.” You look at them and feel your heart swell at their confidence, “You’ll be careful?” They nod frantically in response.  


Slowly, you step back and let Frisk ahead of you. You then muster up the deadliest expression your face could allow towards Toriel, “If you kill them. I’ll rip you apart with my bare hands, got it?”  


If Toriel felt any way about your threat, she did not show it.  


Frisk continued to bare a smile on their face and attempted to reason with Toriel, “Tori? Can we please not fight?”  


You flinched violently when a burst of flames swept towards Frisk. They jumped about and somehow managed to avoid the fireballs. You could now see the glow of a bright red heart in front of Frisk’s chest. Vaguely, you remembered Toriel’s lessons in the ruins about fights being a contest of souls. Frisk’s soul was shining immensely and was full of vigor. As Toriel continued to weave her magical spells, Frisk continued to speak, “Tori! You said I shouldn’t hurt people, so I’m not gonna hurt you either!”  


The constant display of fire swirling beautifully illuminated the stone corridor with orange and red. Although Toriel kept her face passive, you could see the struggle of her entire body. You could only imagine whatever internal conflict she must have been going through. This poor woman was fighting with anguished desperation and it was obvious in the small contradictions in her face and body. Rarely, her stony expression would fail and she would cringe during her sweeping attacks. Other times, it appeared that she was missing Frisk on purpose, offering them a way out and to avoid being hurt. You thought back to the evidence of her once having a child and you grimaced. Perhaps that is where her desperation stemmed from.

Her arm movements were becoming more and more sluggish. The brightness of Frisk’s soul did not waver and it was becoming clear that a strong soul was much more than any form of magic. By now, it was no fight. You could see her subtle cues trickling in more and more; the way her shoulders would tremble, the faint quivering of her lips. Toriel’s attempts at attacking were weak and almost purposefully swirling around Frisk without needing for them to move at all. The internal battle within her was slowing beginning to emerge when her eyebrows began to shape into worry. When Toriel’s passive façade finally faded away, you felt some semblance of hope, “I know you want to go home but…”  


“Please, Tori? I don’t want to fight you anymore.” Frisk offered, their shoulders were heaving with exhausted breaths.  


“Go upstairs now… please…” Toriel’s hands began to shake as she produced another torrent of fire. The once lethal blasts were faulty and no longer threatened Frisk. “I promise I’ll take care of you. I know I don’t have much but…” She was beginning to bargain. It almost felt like she was going through the five stages of grief and loss. For all you knew, she probably was and has before, “Why are you making this so difficult?”  


Frisk carefully approached her with hands outstretched and offering comfort, “Tori…”  


Toriel began to smile sadly and her eyes began to glaze over with tears. As Frisk approached, she kneeled down and held a gentle gaze, “Pathetic, is it not…? I cannot save anyone, can I?”  


Your mouth parted slightly at the realization of how often this may have happened. Your suspicions were confirmed and it explained Toriel’s fierce attitude towards protect the two of you. Now, you realized that she must have not only lost loved ones before, but blamed herself for each and every one of them as well. Tears fell down her face as Frisk embraced her tightly and you looked down at the floor in embarrassment. Toriel nuzzled into Frisk’s neck and the shaking of her shoulders became exaggerated. You barely could you hear the sounds of her heavy breathing. Your pushiness was necessary, but somehow felt wrong now. The feeling gripping your heart could only be described as remorse.  


“My pain, my fears, my mistakes… I will put them aside for both of you…I understand. You would have only been unhappy to be trapped down here.” Toriel’s voice wavered with emotion, “If you truly wish to leave, I will not stop you. Goodbye.” Her voice broke on the final word, dipping into anguish.  


As she stood, you dared approach. Toriel looked up at you and struggled to offer a reassuring nod. Frisk looked up at you with a mixture of emotions varying from victory to sadness. As you took Frisk’s hand, you looked over to Toriel who was now wiping her tears away, “I… I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, Tori. In another life, perhaps we could have been friends.” You offer a weak smile, and she returned it.  


“Stay safe, you two.”  


You nod, “I promise I’ll watch out for Frisk. Thank you again.”  


“I wish the best for you but… when you leave…” She paused for a moment and inhaled a shaky breath before continuing, “Please, do not return.”  


As Toriel walked away, you faced the door and pressed it open without looking back.  


\-----------------  


The long hallways continued once more and you wondered just how far they winded about. Frisk held their head up, despite the sad and frightening battle beforehand. You breathed deeply before speaking, “Frisk… I’m proud of what you did back there.”  


They looked up at you with wide eyes and you continued, “It was scary, and I’m mad that it happened. But…” you squeezed their hand, “You did great. And it was very good of you to talk Toriel out of it. You’re very brave for you age.” You smiled down at them and they returned it sweetly.  


“I knew Tori wouldn’t hurt me.” They said it with full confidence.  


You laugh under your breath, “Yeah? Well, if she had, she would’ve had to answer to me. _No one_ picks on my family.”  


Frisk giggles and leans against your arm as you both continue walking. Letting Frisk handle the situation like that was downright terrifying, and you didn’t want to ever repeat it again, and for more reasons than the battle itself. A cold and tight feeling coiled inside your gut when you thought back to the broken expression on Toriel’s face. You couldn’t necessarily call yourself selfish about the decision to leave but… neither could you say it was generous either. It was simply necessary. Another thought crept into your mind- _‘Who knows if the next person that blocks our way will be as kind?’_ This Asgore guy… he sounded like trouble. You somehow doubted that it would be possible to end such a confrontation peacefully.  


The two of you eventually entered an odd room occupied by a single yellow buttercup with… a face? Frisk stopped dead in their tracks and you looked between the two, “What’s wrong?”  


The flower began to giggle creepily and shivers ran up your spine, it spoke in the sickest and sweetest voice you’ve ever heard, “You think you’re clever, don’t you? Trying to play by your own rules and snuggling up to you big auntie like she’s gonna protect you.” The flowers face contorted into what you could only describe as hollow and insane, “You may have spared one person, but for how long?”  


You could feel Frisk’s hand begin to tremble in your grasp and you swallowed thickly. Why did a flower of all things bring the cold into your gut? Something felt very wrong about the situation, like a predator was breathing up your neck. The flower continued, “But what happens when you meet someone not willing to show mercy? Will you kill then? Will you throw away your pointless idealism for practicality?”  


Frisk let go of your hand and covered their ears, “No! No no no!”  


The sudden change in their demeanor put you on edge and you bared your teeth, “What the hell’s wrong with you? You’re just a plant… _whatever_!”  


The flower’s face changed again into… oh geeze what was _wrong_ with it? Was this another type of monster? It had teeth and… and deranged eyes… you faulted for a moment, trying to desperately comprehend what kind of psycho situation you were stuck in now. Its voice now had adopted a shrilling ring, “Will you give up and let _me_ inherit the power to control this world? Will you allow me to perform the regicide?”  


Regicide? Like... the killing of a king? What the hell was this crazy flower on about? With a final laugh, the flower retreated underground; you were now more confused than ever before. This world was a lot more than it seemed. The entire event came and went so quickly, you didn’t know how to react properly yet. The mixture of confusion and fear left you feeling numb and frozen in place. Beside you, Frisk remains crouched over with their hands over their ears. That was enough to will you from position, “Frisk? What’s wrong…?” Well, besides the whole crazy insane talking flower thing, you weren’t sure what else could be wrong at the moment.  


Their breathing was heavy and ragged while they remained in something similar to a fetal position. Your lips trembled as you kneeled down and massaged their back, “Hey, I know that flower was pretty scary, but it’s gone now, okay? You don’t have to be scared anymore.” You attempted to console them.  


They shook their head and looked up at you with watery eyes. It damn near broke your heart. Frisk chocked a few sobs and managed to say, “You p-promise to listen?”  


“Of course, sweetheart. Whatever’s on your mind, I’m here for you.” You continued to rub their back and forced a straight face.  


Frisk momentarily looked down at the ground and spoke with shaken words, “I-I’m scared that they’ll make me do bad things. I hear them sometimes… and I hate it!”  


An eerie feeling spread throughout your body and you could practically feel the ice flood into your veins. Your mouth open and closed a bit like a fish out of water, “W…What do you mean?” You almost didn’t want to hear the answer.  


_“Them.”_ Frisk’s response sounded like you should’ve already known. It was so sure and full of fear you didn’t know how to respond.  


You swallowed thickly and did everything you could to quell the building terror in your chest, “Who’s them, Frisk? Do you…” You paused and hated asking the question, “Do you hear… is someone telling you what to do?”  


They sat still for a long time before slowing nodding their head. The response hit home and you shakily forced your breathing to remain level. At least they didn't' say they see dead people. But all humor aside, you attempted to push the subject, “And what… what do they say?”  


"They tell me to hurt people. They show me bad things and-and t-they say that I’m not i-in control.” Frisk’s shoulders shook as they began to sob with their forehead pressed against their knees.  


Between the awful event with Toriel and now this breakdown from Frisk, you felt something in yourself break as well. You sat down next to Frisk and wrapped and arm around them, whispering gentle reassurances to them. Tears of frustration pricked at your eyes and you could feel them burning for release, but you held yourself strong for Frisk’s sake. They needed someone to be stable for them right now, not another sobbing mess. Everything was a goddamned mess. All you wanted was a weekend to relax and not worry about anything for _just_ once. Just two days without bullshit, but it didn’t seem meant to be.  


It took a good amount of time before Frisk was able to calm down and slow their cries. You had tilted your head to lean against their own and sighed. What the hell did voices in Frisk’s head mean? As far as you knew, Frisk was a bit young to be developing any form of schizophrenia. It hurt, but you had to fish out an answer from them, “Frisk… Can you answer something for me please?” Your voice was just above a whisper.  


They didn’t respond immediately, but eventually managed a small nod. You continued, “How long has this been going on?”  


Frisk looked up from their curled position and blinked away the remaining tears on their face, “Not long. Since I fell down here.”  


_‘That’s curious’_ you thought, and oddly coincidental. You wanted more details, “Nothing before that?”  


They shook their head at first, but then shrugged, “I dunno… Not like now I mean but…” they frowned and appeared to be heavily confused, “Kinda before. But not clear, y’know? Like… just feelings.”  


Your brows furrowed and you pressed for one last question, “Is that… is that why you ran away? Because of them?” You still didn't know exactly what 'them' entailed, but it was the only way Frisk seemed to know how to describe it.  


Frisk was quiet. They began to fiddle with their fingers and demonstrated signs of discomfort with their shifting eyes and twitching posture, “I-I think so? I dunno. I dunno anything... I just did it.”  


Nodding, you decided that you had enough answers for the time being. Did you understand the situation? Hell no. This was confusing as hell, but Frisk was in the same position at the moment. The day was adding up to be far too painful to continue this conversation, you decided. With a great sigh, you willed yourself to your feet and offered a helping hand to Frisk. Although slow to respond, they accepted your hand and you pulled them up into a hug. As you stroked their hair, you offered them comfort, “I’ll be here for you, no matter what. We’ll get through this together, okay?”  


Frisk nodded and sniffed as they looked up at you with a nod. You smiled and patted their back before grabbing their hand, “Alright, let’s get going now. I bet we’ve got quite the walk ahead of us. The sooner we get home, the sooner all of this will be over.”  


The feeling of Frisk clenching onto your hand and pattering alongside of you was all the strength you needed. 

Determination and fortitude drove the two of you forward into an unknowable future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://scarlet-skelly.tumblr.com/


	3. The Die is Cast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original length: 1,995  
> New length: 2,137  
> Sentence fixes: 28  
> Paragraphs added: 1  
> New dialogue: 0

The first thing you felt as you pushed open the final set of doors was how _cold_ it suddenly was. It took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the stark contrast from the stone hallways to the snow covered forest. Blinking a few times, you were surprised to see trees at all. Wasn’t this supposed to be underground? Why was there snow? As a chilling gust of wind rushed past, you wondered how there was even wind. Was this more magic?

Frisk jumped ahead of you and laughed joyfully as they kicked through the snow. You began to rub your shoulders and felt the goosebumps already forming. Summer-wear was _not_ suited for this environment. You dressed for camping in the woods, not for skiing! Frisk, on the other hand, was all snuggled up inside their long sleeved hoodie. Perhaps their choice to wear it was also part of those ‘feelings’ they get? By normal logic, there’s no way they could’ve known about the snow. By now, you decided that normal logic didn’t seem to apply anymore. Between goat-moms, talking flowers, underground forests, and incorporeal voices, anything goes now. Perhaps you shouldn’t be so surprised. 

You step further into the snowscape and gasp when a wet ball of snow hits you in the stomach. Mouth wide open, you stare at Frisk as they giggle cheekily at your response, “Why you!” 

You bend down to scoop up a handful of snow. It was absolutely freezing and you could already feel your hands go numb from the exposure to the cold. As you struggled to form a decent snowball, another hits you on top of your head. You fake a war cry as you lob a snowball back at Frisk in retaliation. Those stupid dodging skills they picked up on were being put to use when they avoided it with ease. Growling, you grab for another and laugh as you’re bombarded with two more hits. 

Your next throw manages to get Frisk’s leg and they squeal with laughter. The two of you started to run about while trading hits. You couldn’t remember the last time you’ve been in a snowball fight. You remember the good days as a kid and playing outside like any child should. The smile of your mother’s face as they wrapped you up so much you could barely move your arms, or toting a sled for nearly a mile to get to that one perfect hill for sledding on. And nothing could compare to the feeling of returning home, soaked to the bone and warming up with hot chocolate. While playing with Frisk, you realized that the kid needed more in their day than fights and crying episodes. No child should go through all of this alone. 

Another snowball hit your leg and you raised your hands in defeat, “Okay, okay! You win! I give up.” You laughed. Another gust of wind was absurdly cold and you realized with dismay that your clothes were now soaked. 

Frisk grinned and began to cheer happily. The grin on your face faded when the sound of a branch snapping grabbed your attention. You looked out into the woods bordering the pathway and scanned for any signs of movement. You began to frown when you could see nothing more than trees and snow. Steadily, you reached for Frisk’s hand, “Let’s go, Frisk. These woods are kinda scary, huh?”

They shrugged their shoulders unknowingly and skipped along to keep up with your quick stride. You had that odd feeling of being watched soon after and tried to write it off as paranoia, but that didn’t stop your power walk. The sooner you got away from those creepy woods, the better. Frisk wasn’t keeping up too well and you felt badly for nearly dragging them now, but the feeling of unease was growing. The two of you were beginning to approach a wooden bridge with what almost looked like an archway. If you didn’t already have goosebumps, you definitely would’ve now when you faintly heard the sound of an extra pair of footsteps crunching against snow. You froze in your tracks and didn’t know if you should run or confront them. Considering the monster you’ve encountered before, perhaps this could be handled without violence? 

Frisk had already turned around and was staring in the stranger’s direction. If they didn’t seem scared, then you shouldn’t have any reason to be either. But still…

When you heard the footsteps get close enough for comfort, you turned and pushed Frisk behind you and grabbed for your belt. If there was one thing you never went camping without, it was a knife. Until now, you never really had any use for it, but after that incident with the psycho flower, anything could happen. You drew the knife and held it up, prepared for whatever monster was coming. Surprisingly it was…

“A skeleton?”

Sure enough, it was a skeleton, wearing clothes and everything, and was just about your own height too. However, he was rather barrel-chested and had little white lights in the eye sockets, and was now holding his hands up in surrender, “whoa, hey! you don’t need to be swinging that thing around, do you? is that really a way to greet a new pal?” 

He was clearly uncomfortable and uh… was he sweating? Skeleton’s sweat? _‘Monster physics I guess. Talking flowers then, why not talking skeletons too?’_

The skeleton then tentatively taps the knife with his finger, “well then, _knife_ to meet you, I’m sans. sans the skeleton.” You blinked for a moment and stared blankly, trying to register what he had just said. Was that… was that a joke? Slowly, you put away your knife and stared at him cautiously. 

He then offered out a hand, before you could respond, Frisk hopped around you and gladly took his hand to shake it. But as soon as they did, a very loud and obnoxious farting noise filled the air. Although this Sans guy already had a grin on his face, it seemed to widen when he spoke, “the ol’ whoopee cushion in the hand trick never gets old.” This guy had to be kidding, right? You felt like you were going through emotional whiplash right now with how quickly events were changing. 

Frisk laughed in response and was practically hopping on their toes, “I’m Frisk! And this is my Auntie!”

Sans put his hands into his coat pockets and gave you an appraising look, “your aunt, huh?” His voice was deep and oddly comforting; it reminded you slightly of a baritone singer. Your previous caution was starting to feel a bit ridiculous now. 

You squirmed a bit under his scrutinizing gaze and nodded while telling them your name. The glow in his eye sockets was somehow ominous. He chuckled a bit in response and said, “well then, this should be different. you two are humans, right? i’m actually supposed to be on the lookout for humans right now.” He shrugged, “but to be honest, i’m not really interested in capturing any.” He drawled.

Frowning, you wondered why monsters would be interested in capturing a human, or why they would even have someone on the lookout for any. Was this related to that Asgore person Toriel warned you about? Thinking back to Toriel made your heart feel heavy. 

Sans continued with a sly glint in his eye, “now my brother papyrus… he’s a human-hunting _fanatic_.”

 _‘Great. Couldn’t someone be, I dunno, a human-loving fanatic? Or a human-helping fanatic? Just once?’_ you thought bitterly. This idea of getting back home was feeling more and more impossible with every passing minute.

“actually, i think that’s him coming over right now.”

You and Frisk both turn around, but didn't see anyone. Regardless, Sans walks past and gestures for you to follow. Frisk is quick to follow, but you stood in place. Things were taking an odd turn of events, and you weren’t sure just how to feel about them. The skeleton looked back at you and said, “well? are you coming along?”

Frowning, you decide to just roll with it. 

\----------

Unsurprisingly, Sans’ brother was a skeleton too. And then you wonder how skeletons even reproduce. You decided that was a question better left unanswered. Papyrus turned out to be a very loud and boisterous fellow wearing a rather unique outfit that wasn’t dissimilar to a comic book hero. And it took every bit of restraint in your body to _not_ strangle Sans for practically attempting to out Frisks’ hiding spot behind the very odd lamp. Although, strangling a skeleton would probably not work considering he lacked a throat of any kind. You were practically crouched down in the freezing snow behind the sentry stand when Papyrus came and went. You felt the numbness of your body get worse and realized that you very well might just die out here due to the cold. So much for summer camping. 

Standing up and walking over to Sans, he seemed to notice your shivering state and shrugged off his coat, “here, you might want this.”

You look between the blue coat and Sans for a moment before graciously accepting it. It certainly beat freezing to death. After putting it on, you couldn’t help but admit that is was rather comfortable and warm. An odd scent clung to the soft material that you couldn’t name. “What about you?” You look over at Sans, who was now wearing an undershirt with shorts and house slippers. 

He shrugged, “i don’t really feel the cold. besides, the wind tends to _go right through me_.” He looks over at you with a lazy grin that makes you avert your eyes. Sans continues, “but uh, look… my brother’s never seen a human before. i think it’d make his day if you saw one of you.”

“I thought you said he was a human-hunting fanatic.” You quoted.

“yeah, but he won’t hurt anyone. don’t worry, he’s not dangerous.”

You stare at Sans for a moment, unsure of what to think of him. It was difficult to discern if his intentions were honest or not. The ever present smile on his face wasn’t helpful either. His posture was relaxed well enough; perhaps he was truly being honest. But it was difficult to lower your guard in the face of all this uncertainty. After all, who knows if that freaky flower decides to show up again? When Sans starts to look somewhat nervous, you realize you’ve been glaring at him, “We’ll see what happens.”

Up ahead, you see Frisk practically shaking with impatience, “C’mon Auntie! You take too long!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” You move on ahead to meet up with Frisk. When you look back to see if Sans was following, he was gone. You pause and looked around for any sign of him, and notice that there aren’t any footprints leading away either. _‘What the hell?’_

“Auntie!”

You turn and see Frisk leaving without you and jog to catch up. _‘Stupid magic.’_

\-----------------

Sans didn’t know what to think anymore. Across all of the different timelines, every single reset, each time Frisk came walking out from behind that door, they were never accompanied by anyone. Now, an adult human was with them and apparently was their aunt. The resemblance was definitely there, with some obvious differences between them. However, that stunt you pulled with the knife was enough to shake him. The moment where he meets Frisk has always been where he would size them up and get some form of idea how this cycle would play out. But now… now things have changed. 

Usually, in a good cycle, Frisk is happy and eagerly laughs at his jokes. In the bad cycles, they were usually dour and constantly meeting him with intense glares. Frisk was clearly in a pretty good mood this cycle, and seemed to be playing their merciful card. You however, were sending some mixed signals. You were generally kind and handled confrontations with a gentle hand, but subtly, that same hand always lingered next to your knife. 

He watched as you and Frisk trekked onward to Snowdin. Papyrus had laid out the same puzzles he did with every cycle. No matter how many times this happens though, it made Sans smile to watch his brother to be so excited to confront a human. His monologues were full of mirth and it was highly contagious. Sans knew that without his brother’s hopeful and positive attitude, he would’ve gone insane a long time ago. But things are different this time around. Perhaps this change was exactly what was needed. What changes it would cause, he didn’t know. Regardless, Sans allowed himself a small amount of hope that this cycle would be the one to end it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://scarlet-skelly.tumblr.com/


	4. Bruised Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original length: 4,570  
> New length: 4,610  
> Sentence fixes: 14  
> Paragraphs added: 0  
> New dialogue: 2

The excitement on Papyrus’ face was palpable. You stared with eyebrows raised as the two skelebros exchanged hushed words, with Papyrus’ being much louder, “SANS! IS THAT… ARE THEY?”

Sans looked up at him with a secret smile and shrugged, “sure looks like it to me, bro.”

Frisk giggled beside you and had their hands over their mouth as Papyrus boisterously proclaimed, “HUMANS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL CAPTURE YOU! THEN, WHEN I DELIVER YOU TO THE CAPITAL,” he paused and his gaze appeared to shift from side to side. As much as someone without eyeballs could, you supposed, “THEN I’M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENS. BUT IT WILL BE GREAT, INDEED! CONTINUE IF YOU DARE, HUMANS! NYEHEHE!” he then ran away, his comical laughter fading into the distance.

A smile had struggled onto your face and you couldn’t help but be amused at the display. Papyrus was an attention-grabber all the way from his unique attire to his manner of speaking. Sans, by comparison, was much quieter and less conspicuous. 

Frisk continuously led you by the hand and you wondered if you were ever this energetic as a child. As the two of you passed Sans, he seemed to be tagging along, “that went well. don’t worry, i’ll keep an eye socket out for both of ya.” He winked with an audible click. Rationalizing how he did that made your head hurt. 

When in doubt, _magic._

The corner of your mouth quirked and you shook your head. Between the guy’s jokes, casual demeanor, and the kindness of lending his coat, maybe he wasn’t that bad. You wet your lips for a moment and considered apologizing for not receiving his introduction well. In all fairness, you were still disturbed by that flower freak, and the feeling of being hunted had you right on edge; quite literally at that while you had been standing next to a chasm. The situation had been all wrong, and possibly your demeanor had been as well. You look over at him a few times, trying to form the right words. Sans seemed to notice your hesitant looks because he looked back and said, “got something to say, buddy?”

 _‘First pal, now buddy, huh? Sure are friendly, aren’t you?’_ You think before responding, “So uh… sorry about earlier.”

He raised a non-existent brow- no seriously, how does do he do that? - and urged you to continue, “about what?”

With a huff, you elaborate, “You know, the whole knife thing. I’ve just been on edge lately, that’s all. This whole falling down here thing has really messed up my faculties.”

“on _edge_ , huh? don’t worry, i get your _point_.” He grinned.

If you weren’t being tugged along by Frisk, you would’ve stopped and stared, so you settled with staring, “Was that a pun about knives?”

“it’s a good way to _cut_ the tension.” His grin could only be described as ‘shit-eating’.

You snorted unceremoniously and could even hear Frisk laughing next to you as they said, “You’re silly Sans!”

“Well, uh...” you pause and think about your words before saying them, “I’ll _handle_ it to ya, dude. It takes a _sharp_ mind to tell a good joke.” Your words come out a bit awkwardly. Telling jokes weren’t exactly your forte.

Yet, Sans let out a few chuckles in response to that and seemed to be thrilled. You smiled brightly and scratched the back of your head. Your face felt somewhat heated against the cold air and wondered what sort of situation you were in _this time_. More has happened in the last two days than a year of your life. Sans patted your shoulder, “keep that up and we’ll get along just fine.”

“Yeah, well, lucky for you, I’m not exactly a ‘shoot-first-ask-questions-later’ kinda person.”

“lucky for me, eh?” somehow, his tone of voice and facial expression almost made it sound like a challenge. 

You laugh nervously and the three of you come upon an open area with Papyrus standing at the other side of the clearing, “SANS! YOU LAZYBONES, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE HUMANS?!” Papyrus directed his gaze towards you, “AND WHY IS ONE OF THEM WEARING YOUR COAT?”

Sans raises up his hands, “oh, y’know. just making sure they didn’t get lost on the way to your awesome puzzle, bro. and y’know, it’d be a shame if this one died from the cold before you could capture her.”

Just _whose_ side was this guy on? You scowled and shot him a sideways glare. If he saw it, he chose to ignore it. _‘Figures’_

Papyrus smiles brightly, “AH, YES! IT WOULD BE UNFORTUNATE IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE HUMANS ALONG THE WAY! NOW, HUMANS, I THINK YOU’ll FIND THIS PUZZLE,” he put on a mask of sass, “QUITE SHOCKING!”

Papyrus went on about explaining how a puzzle with invisible electric walls works, and then promptly failed to initiate it correctly. Some part of your heart went out to the fella when he unwittingly made it obvious what the correct path was by trekking through and leaving his footprints about. The idea of it was certainly interesting, and even laying it out to work must’ve taken some time and resources. It kinda reminded you of the first time you were electrocuted. Gladly, such a thing would not have to be repeated again. 

Later, Frisk was chasing a huge snowball across some ice, and it was making you very, very nervous. Every time they slipped and landed on their behind, you almost stepped over to help them up, but whenever they fell, they’d get right back up. It was an admirable quality in Frisk that you loved. Events rarely got them down, and it was never difficult for them to rise above it. You supposed it wasn’t unlike a phoenix. The thought of comparing cute little Frisk to a flaming bird was a bit silly though, and you laughed quietly to yourself. Sans, who was still sticking around, looked at you questioningly, and you simply shook your head dismissively. Frisk slipped and fell again, this time smacking their face on the ice. You flinched and moved to help them but they jumped right up and kept pushing the snowball. 

“so, you really care about the kid, huh?” Sans said.

“Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” you smiled and continued nonchalantly, “Someone’s gotta look out for the bugger. Then again, you look like the type of person who watches out for their family too.” The banter you’ve witnessed between the brothers so far had only been amusing. 

Although Sans always appeared to be smiling, he seemed to have different ways and degrees of doing so. At the mention of his brother, he looked a bit happier, “yeah, that’s true. my bro’s a pretty cool guy.”

You let out a breath of a laugh, “That’s pretty nice. You two get along well then?”

“yep. i mean,” he looks at you jokingly, “what’s not to love? I’m a pretty _humerus_ guy.” He said as he lifted up his arm.

You chuckled as you spoke, “Oh, we’re doing anatomy stuff now?” you stop for a moment to gather your thoughts, “I guess… _tibia_ honest, I‘m not surprised.”

The two of you start to laugh and Sans shakes his head, one hand resting upon it. It was hard for you to remember the last time you’ve been able to make stupid jokes like this considering not everyone appreciated that type of humor. But in all fairness, _he_ started it. 

It seemed that Frisk finally pushed that dumb snowball to where they wanted it and was now gesturing for you to follow. As you both started walking, Sans says, “alright, that’s pretty good! it’s not every day you meet a girl who likes bad jokes.”

Grinning, you nod your head and agree with him. Okay, you’ll admit it, he’s not that bad. ‘In fact, pretty damn good.’ you think, _‘Great, now my face hurts from smiling too much.’_

\---------------

The next ‘puzzle’ to be presented was apparently Sans’ idea and you weren’t the least bit surprised to find that it was a word search. The paper was lying in the snow, already soaking wet and Papyrus was visibly outraged. His brother, on the other hand, was too proud of himself. Afterwards, you and Frisk found a complimentary plate of spaghetti that was frozen solid, accompanied by an unplugged microwave. There seemed to be a theme with electronics being randomly found lying around. 

Another noticeable theme was dogs. Dogs for days. Mostly, they were easy to avoid fighting since they loved being pet so much. Especially that particular dog’s whose neck grew with each pat. You had a feeling that’ll show up in your nightmares tonight. Not to mention the freakish giant dog in a suit of armor. Sans also seemed to be conveniently absent during these encounters and you were still trying to figure out how he got around so fast. House slippers weren’t the best for walking in the snow. And considering how there were never footprints when he left, your confusion only grew. 

The next puzzle Papyrus had set up was another one of those tiles you were supposed to walk over to change the X to an O. You were about to just kinda lay back and relax when Frisk began to push you towards the puzzle, “Huh? What?”

They laughed and kept trying to push you, “You do it, Auntie! It’s fun!”

You grinned and considered it for a moment before getting an idea, “Ohhhh but Friiisk! I’m sooo tired!” you began to lean backward and gradually let your legs give out. 

Frisk’s attempts to push you became more struggled, “Nooo! You’re a liar! Lying is bad, Auntie!”

Laughing, you let off and decided to just go along with it, “Alright, fiiiine,” you feign exasperation, “I _guess_ I’ll do it.” 

They cheered and jumped about while you approached the puzzle and gave an inquisitive glance to Papyrus. He was standing with a smug look on his face, yet also appeared to be eager to see how you’d fair. It was a bit bizarre really, that he would set up obstacles to be conquered rather than attacking directly. It seemed to affirm what Sans had said about Papyrus not being dangerous. At least the taller brother was having fun, right? 

You stepped around the little rock maze for longer than you anticipated. You could feel your face heat up with embarrassment each time you accidentally turned an O into a triangle and had to start over. Even worse, you could hear the little brat laughing at you each time you had to reset the puzzle. Papyrus, at least, appeared to be enthused that it was giving you a hard time. If you were at a birds eye view, perhaps it would have been simpler, but you weren’t and it was hard to look at the maze in the right light. Or well, figuratively light, the underground was highly lacking in a sun. You wondered if the whole underground was like this. 

After what felt like forever, you eventually found the correct path and turned very shape into an O. Papyrus was overjoyed, “AHA! IT IS GREAT TO MEET SOMEONE WHO ENJOYS PUZZLES AS MUCH AS I DO! THEREFORE, YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY _LOVE_ THE NEXT ONE!” he gave his trademark laugh and marched away and you contemplated just how many he had set up. 

Frisk ran after him and you shook your head in disbelief, “That kid, I swear…”

Sans approached you and winked, “good job. i didn’t even have to help out. which is great, ‘cause i love doing nothing.”

You humored him with a laugh, “Ah, okay then. Sometimes I wish I could afford to be lazy too. But you know life has a way of getting in the way of that.”

“never stopped me before.”

You believed him.

The next puzzle was another electronic based one that apparently would light up with different colored tiles. Papyrus laid out an extra-long explanation that had your head practically spinning. It didn’t help either when you asked him to repeat the rules and he kept getting the colors mixed up. So as a joke, you asked him to explain it a third time and he simply left with leaving the rules on a piece of paper… _without_ turning on the machine even to randomize the colors. Poor guy.

The final confrontation with Papyrus was on an extensively long bridge that left you practically shaking as you crossed it. Frisk’s bounding steps certainly didn’t help with the way it caused the bridge to sway back and forth. Your hands had an iron grip on the rope side rails as the tall skeleton brandished a trap consisting of every type of sharp object and a… dog. Well, at least it looked happy hanging up there. It seemed that Papyrus’ true feelings were somewhat emerging though when he called off the trap and called it ‘tasteless.’ But you could see the subtle nervousness of his eye shifting and the fidgeting of his hands within his red gloves. He really didn’t want to kill either of you. 

Afterwards, Sans appeared to be somewhat uncomfortable, and you understood why when he said, “so uh… my bro’s probably gonna wanna fight you soon. just… go easy on him? he won’t actually hurt you, so don’t worry about it. just put up a good fight and he’ll probably back off.”

You observed Sans’ body language to the best of your abilities and could only discern that he was genuinely concerned for his brother’s well-being. You offered a smile of reassurance, “Don’t worry, Sans. Believe me when I say that I’ve made more friends than corpses in fights over the years.”

He seemed to be somewhat relieved with the response and nodded, “yeah, okay… well then, i’ll catch up with you later. i’m gonna take a shortcut.”

And with that, you and Frisk continued into the town of Snowdin.

\------------------

Snowdin was a quaint little village with an assortment of monsters inhabiting it. Most of which were some form of bunny or dog. Most of the homes were warm-looking and bore a cabin type of appearance. The citizens also seemed to have decorations adorning the town like Christmas. Except that it was nowhere close to the holidays. Christmas tree lights were strung up around the rooftops of houses and glowed happily amongst the dimness of the town, bathing the bare wooden houses with brilliant colors. Perhaps they always decorated like these to keep in high spirits. Winter depression would probably be common in a place like this, you realize. You and Frisk buy some snakes to eat at the merchant’s stand and you couldn’t remember how long it’s been since you were this hungry or cold, actually. Sans’ coat, which you need to remember to return, was providing decent warmth, but you were still rather under-dressed for such freezing conditions. You hoped that you would be able to find a store that had warmer clothing available soon. 

As you took a bit of a break, you looked down at Frisk and said, “So uh, you know that we’re gonna have to face, Papyrus, right?”

They nod without a trace of fear or anxiety. 

“I know you’re brave, Frisk. But I can’t just sit back and let you fight him.”

They looked up at you inquisitively, “Why not? I’ll be fine.”

“I know,” you stop and your gaze drifts away as you think of Toriel, “I had to sit back and let you fight once before; I’m not doing it again. I know Papyrus probably won’t seriously hurt you, but I don’t want to risk it. I’m going to fight him, end of discussion.”

They looked like they were going to retort, but stopped just beforehand and sullenly nodded. Your fake ‘mom’ voice seemed to work. There was no way in hell you were going to let the kid handle the problem alone. Soul battle or not, you were prepared to carry that burden. It didn’t feel right just letting it fall upon Frisk alone to get the two of you back home. Family should look out for one another, even though they don’t always do so. Mildly, you envied the admiration Sans had for his brother and wished that you could say the same for your own sister- Frisk’s mom. The kid had earned a rest, anyways. You were more than glad to take the reins for the time being and steer your path towards the right direction. 

The two of you passed through Snowdin and upon exiting, came face to face with Papyrus. His face was torn between sternness and concern, “HUMANS. I… AM UNSURE OF HOW TO DO THIS.” He looked down as if he were already defeated, “YOU HAVE BOTH COMPLIMENTED ME ON MY PASTA, SHOWN LOVE FOR MY PUZZLES, AND HAVE ONLY DISPLAYED KINDNESS TO ME.” He looked up at you with eyes full of fire and inspiration, “BUT FEAR NOT HUMANS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE…” his flare waned for a brief moment before reigniting, “NO! I CANNOT! I CANNOT BE FRIENDS WITH A HUMAN! I MUST CAPTURE YOU SO THAT I MAY FINALLY JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! I WILL BECOME EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER DREAMED OF BEING!”

He readied himself for battle and you steeled yourself. You’ve been in fistfights before, but this was different. This was against a skeleton that you were most definitely _not_ pissed at. It was hard to hurt someone you didn’t hate. For a brief moment, your hands drifted over your knife, but stopped, _‘No, I won’t need it.’_ you reasoned. You didn’t know what happens when you stab a skeleton and you weren’t ready to find out. Briefly, you look back towards Frisk who was watching with an expression of wonder and curiosity. Beside them, you were shocked to see Sans standing there as well. He wore his usual grin, but it was tense now. You offered a comforting nod in his direction and his shoulders marginally relaxed. 

You had just met these two monsters, but somehow, you felt that they deserved mercy and acceptance. You could feel the kindness their hearts emitted and decided they earned such a feeling in return. You weren’t sure if it was just them, or that all monsters seemed to have this warming effect on you. They all seemed so honest and open about their intentions and passions. Perhaps humanity could learn a thing or two from these people- how to care openly and offer kindness unrestrained. 

With a deep breath, you prepared for battle.

Gradually, you felt your soul manifest in front of your chest, glowing a bright and pastel shade of pink. You didn’t know if souls were certain colors for a reason, but you hoped that a pink heart meant something good. 

To you in particular, it meant _hope_.

As Papyrus readied himself for a fight, you decided a bit of poking and prodding would be a good idea, after all, talking always straightened out your fights, “Alright, tall and handsome, let’s see what you’ve got.” You beckoned him with your finger.

Papyrus was noticeably shaken by this and his eyes shifted nervously, “WAIT... ARE YOU FLIRTING WITH ME?!” he then appeared to be appalled, “I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I AM A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS!” the shaking of his voice had you thinking otherwise.

So you smirk impishly and say, “Papyruuuus…” you say with a sing-song voice, “I can coooook!~” 

He cringed and held his hand against his head, “OHHH NOOO! YOU’RE MEETING ALL OF MY STANDARDS! W-WELL THEN, I SUPPOSE WE’LL HAVE TO GO ON A DATE THEN! BUT LATER, NOT NOW!” 

You repress a laugh, but hear Frisk behind you roaring with laughter. It was really hard not to laugh when they were. That little giggle was infectious. 

Papyrus seemed to be taking the battle seriously now when they raised a wave of bones and sent them flying towards you. You cringed for a moment before acting to avoid them with ease. As much as the action surprised you, the bones were simple to avoid and didn’t even come close to landing a hit. When you figured it was your turn, you put your hands up and smiled mysteriously, “Y’know, Paps, I didn’t really wanna fight you to begin with, so is this _really_ necessary? 

He seemed to be taken back for a moment, “A NICKNAME? BUT ONLY FRIENDS GIVE EACH OTHER NICKNAMES!” 

You simply answer with a wink and he outwardly appears uncomfortable. 

“W-WELL THEN! HOW ABOUT YOU DEAL WITH MY FABLED BLUE ATTACK THEN?! WE’LL SEE IF YOU CALL ME NICKNAMES THEN!” he announced heroically. 

Papyrus raised another wave of bones and rushed them towards you. Blue in color, you knew that keeping still would allow safety. So you froze as they each passed through your soul without harm. In the back of your mind, you didn’t know why he would attack with something so basic. It seemed somewhat redicu-

“OOF!” you grunted as your entire body dropped to the ground. You then notice that your soul had turned into a deep blue color.

Papyrus was delighted, “YOU’RE BLUE NOW! THAT’S MY ATTACK!”

You struggled to get back to your feet. It felt like gravity had increased doubly and your muscles barely complied as you stood upon your feet. Your now-blue soul was shining dimly and was dragging you downward like a fifty pound weight. _‘Well then,’_ you think glumly, _‘this will be a problem.’_

Still refusing to hit him, Papyrus began to throw another wave of small bones in your direction. Now, dodging them proved to be much harder. With each leap, every muscle in your body was burning and protesting heavily to any form of acrobatics. By now, you mind as well be at the gym doing squats with too much weight on the bench bar. And you did _not_ feel like working out right now. But then again, when did you ever? 

Papyrus would conjure bones from the ground or in mid-air and send them in droves while you only retorted with teases about how strong Papyrus was and how his cooking was great. Somewhere down the line, you almost meant it. I mean, the guy was _pretty_ strong! The whole turn-your-soul-blue strategy was proving troublesome. While sneaking a backwards glance, you could see Sans watching with an amused face and Frisk was rocking back and forth as they cheered you on. 

Somehow, seeing people rooting for you like that filled you with determination. 

Despite Papyrus’ bone attacks growing with size and frequency; you restrained yourself from fighting back for the sake of Frisk and Sans. The battle was an escalating grind uphill as Papyrus became more and more excited from his future as a royal guardsman. His every move was filled to the brim with vigor and enthusiasm into a crescendo of ambition, “PEOPLE WILL ADMIRE ME! THEY WILL WANT TO BE LIKE ME! BUT…” he hesitated and his shoulders tensed, “WILL ANYONE LIKE ME AS GENUINELY AS THE TWO OF YOU?” 

Somehow, your heart twisted at that question. Sure, the monsters would admire anyone who caught the human soul they all wanted so badly. But would they like him as a person beyond the celebrity status? The concern was warranted. 

The bone attacks were beginning to change in variety and unsuspectingly change in shape and size. Your legs were crying out for a break by now and with each breath you heaved like it was your last. Papyrus’ shoulders were marginally shaking now, “BAH! WHO CARES?! I’LL USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!” 

You didn’t know what the attack was, but it sure sounded special. 

When the skeleton rose up a bone to do so however, a small white dog was promptly chewing upon it and his jaw opened in shock. You couldn’t hold it in- you burst out laughing and it hurt so _good_. 

Papyrus attempted to shake the dog from the bone in vain and flailed it about in the air. The stubborn dog’s jaws seemed to win when the entire bone flew from Papyrus’ grasp and took the dog with it. It ran away with the bone as its prize from the encounter and you could no longer stop the hysterics from the display. 

Poor Papyrus huffed and put his hands upon his hips, “ _FINE_! I GUESS I’LL JUST HAVE TO USE A REALLY COOL _NORMAL_ ATTACK, THEN!” 

The ‘normal’ attack was more than you bargained for and hurt like a bitch when you took a few bruising blows from it. When an absurdly large row of bones came your way, you simply jumped and hoped for the best. You gained some admirable amount of air in the jump, but inevitably took the full brunt of the last absurdly large bone in the row. 

Papyrus was immensely tired from the battle and panted with zeal, “W-WELL, IT SEEMS THAT,” he took another deep breath and willed himself to continue, “YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME! THEREFORE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GRANT YOU MERCY!” 

Heaven mind as well have opened up and delivered you to fucking salvation right then and there because you almost cried at that declaration. You smiled wide and bright nodded eagerly, “ _Pleeeeaase_!” 

And yet, Papyrus seemed to be saddened by the outcome of the battle, “I CANNOT EVEN DEFEAT SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU. UNDYNE WILL BE SO DISSAPOINTED. I’LL NEVER GET TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD. HOW WILL I EVER GAIN MORE FRIENDS?”

Your face fell at this and you padded over, with hands massaging your sore muscles as you did so, “Hey Paps, it’s alright! I mean, if you want,” you looked back to Frisk who was now bounding towards you with arms outstretched, “We can be your friends, yeah?” 

Frisk slammed into you with a hug and you grunted, _‘I’m gonna be so sore in the morning!' _, you cringed. Papyrus looked to be uplifted from such an offer, “WHAT? YOU- YOU MEAN,” his face broke into a cheerful smile, “REEALLY?!” he then coughed and pretended to be serious, “WELL THEN, I SUPPOSE I COULD MAKE AN ALLOWANCE FOR THIS. WOWIE! TWO NEW FRIENDS!” His façade did not last long, it seemed.__

The sound of Sans walking through the snow grabbed your attention and his smile was pleased, “well then, look at that. i’m glad it all worked out in the end.” 

You grinned back and Frisk hopped excitingly, “Did you _see_ that?! Auntie was so cool jumping over those bones! And then Papys was super cool with the whole attacking thing and-and-and” they rambled on and on and you sighed tiredly. You’ve spent enough energy for five days as far as you were concerned. Looking over to Papyrus, you winked and said, “Now, I dunno about you, but sounds like you’ve got a greater admirer right here. How about you go on that date with them instead?” 

Frisk’s face lit right up, “Yeah! Wanna go and play with me, Papys?! Pleeease?” 

Papyrus’s eye sockets narrowed, “HMM… WELL THEN, I ACCEPT! COME, TINY HUMAN, YOU AND I WILL PARTAKE IN THIS ‘DATE’!” 

You let out a huge sigh of relief as the two most energetic people you’ve ever met walked away together. Sans chuckled beside you and nudged your shoulder, “well then, since they’ll be busy, how about a side trip of our own to grillby’s?” 

Grillby’s sounded familiar and you vaguely passing what looked like a pub in Snowdin, “Alright, sounds good! Let’s go.” 

After an intense fight like that, you could really go a drink. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's get this ship sailing!
> 
> http://scarlet-skelly.tumblr.com/


	5. Whiskey Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original length: 1,784  
> New length: 2,032  
> Sentence fixes: 14  
> Paragraphs added: 2  
> New dialogue: 4

Grillby’s Bar was a small and relaxing establishment, full of patrons of varying types of monsters, some you recognized as the dog sentries from earlier. There was a nice atmosphere to the place, with dim and earthy colors accompanying the buzzing overture of conversation between customers. You looked up and around the bar, clearly impressed with the place and weaved in and around people to the best of your abilities. Some of the monsters were unique and odd looking while others were somewhat resembling animals from the surface. You recognized the guard dogs you and Frisk encountered earlier as well. Along the way, multiple patrons called out to Sans in greeting with general things such as “Welcome back!” or “Good to see you again!” He must be a regular here.

“So, you’re pretty popular here, huh?” you said.

“i guess so, since i’m in here a lot.” Sans hopped up onto a stool at the bar and you promptly took a seat next to him. 

The familiar sound of a whoopee cushion made you jump and slowly turn to Sans with a phony glare. His grin was all too satisfied and you wondered just how many people have been victim to his classic pranks. Seriously, who used whoopee cushions anymore? You rolled your eyes and blinked in surprise when a man with a flaming head approached. His attire was clean and formal, a nice button up white shirt accompanied with a black vest and bowtie, alongside a pair of glasses? How did they… whatever, you were done asking questions like that by now. 

“so, what do you want?” Sans asked.

You considered it for a moment before replying, “I dunno, burger and fries?” Bar food like that sounded perfect right now. 

Sans nodded at the flaming man, whom you assumed was the owner considering the bar’s name, “alright, i’ll take what she’s getting too.”

Before he walked away, you added in, “Oh yeah, got any good whiskey here? I could really go for a hard drink.”

The monster nodded and began to work on the orders. Sans gave you an appraising look, “whiskey, eh?”

“After a long and eventful day like this, I need it.” You grinned. 

Thinking back on it, the day had been especially hectic. Waking up in a stranger’s house was disorientating enough, but alongside Frisk’s breakdown, meeting two new monsters, and then getting into a full blown fight with one? _That_ was a rough day. Before all of this, you thought getting a B on a test was a bad day. Suddenly, your life on the surface felt like a cakewalk. 

As Grillby set down a small glass of whiskey on the bar, you frowned and stared at the bronze liquid. What was going to happen when Monday rolled around and you and Frisk didn’t return? You had left your phone back at the camp and were almost positive that you had received a flurry of worried texts from your sister. Would she file a missing person’s report? What about work, would they just fire you and move on like nothing happened? And college… a gripping sense of dread wrapped shackles around your stomach and pulled it downward into a dark pit. If you missed too many class days, you’d be dropped from the course, and all that money would go right down the drain.

The cell phone you still had from Toriel couldn’t reach numbers from the surface either. It was plenty nerve wrecking when you had tried dialing several different numbers and couldn’t get a signal through. Of course, you’d doubt it would be any help if you _had_ somehow managed to get a hold of someone. Who would believe that you were in an underground world full of monsters? No sane person, surely.

You swallowed thickly and quickly downed the glass of whiskey before you, savoring the burning sensation that enveloped your mouth and throat. The burn was preferable to the anxiety you felt about all of the problems that have already arisen with your disappearance. As you slammed the empty glass onto the bar, you met Sans’ staring eyes. He was looking at you with wide eyes and an uneasy smile, “you okay there, bud?”

Blinking a few times, you wobbled, already feeling the effects of the alcohol in your head, “Yep.” You answered bluntly. 

Sans readjusted himself upon his seat, “so uh, i wanted to thank you for what you did.” After a questioning look from you, he elaborated, “y’know, not fighting papyrus back.” He looked down at the wooden counter, “i saw that you wanted to use your knife.”

You frowned a bit before remembering that Sans was right, you had considered using your knife for that fight, if even for a moment. Sans continued, “but what matters is that you didn’t do it.” he looked up and met your gaze, “so yeah, thanks for that.”

With a shrug, you respond, “Nah, don’t mention it. But what you should’ve mentioned is that your brother can pack a punch, “you grinned and winked at the skeleton, “Like _damn_ , I’m still hurting!”

Sans chuckled a bit at that and rested his elbows upon the bar, “yeah, he tries real hard. he trains with undyne all the time, trying to get into the royal guard.” He winks at you, “my bro’s pretty cool, huh?”

You nod, still feeling the grin on your face, “Yeah, hell I was convinced that it wouldn’t be so tough with all your ‘oh, he’s not dangerous’ talks,” Sans laughed a bit at your impression of his voice, “Hah, so yeah, pretty cool.” You said honestly. 

Your fingers trace the surface of the empty glass in your hands as your face falls for a moment. With a sigh, you lean against the counter, mimicking Sans’ pose and shake your head, “Y’know…” you start off. Sans looks over at you inquisitively and you continue with another sigh, “I almost didn’t find Frisk.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see him shift almost uncomfortably, “yeah?” he sounded like he was pretending to be casual, but the hints of uncertainty were there. 

“Yeah.” You stare down the glass and run your nails along its edge, “This whole mess with falling down here, it’s just one big, stupid accident.” As Grillby walked by, he offers to refill your drink and you nod him on, “Frisk just kinda… ran off. No warning, no nothing.”

Sans’ smile wasn’t so much of a smile anymore. Now, he appeared to be a lot more focused with those pinpricks of light watching you intensely, “you don’t know why?”

“Nah,” you shake your head and lift you now full glass, admiring the color of the drink as the dim lighting reflected off from its surface, “So much for camping, right?”

“sounds pretty…” you could feel it coming before he said it, “ _in-tents_.” Sans winked and you let out a breathy laugh in response. He continues, “but seriously, i’m curious about it. you don’t know why frisk ran off?” it was a bit jarring how quickly he could go from cracking jokes to being serious again. 

You looked over at him and you tried to size him up. Or well… ‘sizing up’ probably wasn’t the best expression to use with Sans. He was still ‘smiling’, but it was off, and he appeared to be oddly fixated by the subject. At least, that was the best you could assume from him. You couldn’t imagine why he’d be so interested in the subject. As good as you were at reading people, Sans was something of an enigma, “I don’t know.” You lied. Frisk had admitted to why- hearing an odd voice that beckoned them to that hole. 

It was Frisk’s secret to tell, not yours.

Sans’ shoulders fell a bit and his gaze flicked down for a moment, you guessed that he was disappointed by your answer. You took a drink from your glass, taking it slower this time rather than downing it quickly, and then continued your story, feeling like he deserved to know at least a bit more, “I chased after them in the woods. By then, it was dark out and I didn’t think I’d ever find them. It felt like a frikken miracle that I found that hole at all. I was completely lost and had zero visual on where the kid had run off to. Just kinda wandering about and the next thing I know, I’m falling.” You set down the glass and shook your head, “I _almost_ didn’t find them.”

Grillby came by and set down the food you and Sans had ordered. It smelled absolutely delicious and your empty stomach clenched in anticipation. Sans spoke up before grabbing for the ketchup, “i believe it.” his cryptic answer made your mouth twitch downwards, but before you could retort, he offered you the bottle, “want some?”

You paused for a moment and decided to let it go, “Sure.” You take the ketchup from him and moved to squirt some onto your fries. However, when you did so, the entirety of the bottle’s contents dumped onto your food and you heard your mouth fall open with a small ‘pop’. Beside you, Sans was laughing and shaking his head. Another prank, go figure. Against your will, you smiled and joined in the laughter, “Alright, I get it. You think you’re funny.”

He nudged you with his arm, “did i tickle your funny bone?”

“Uh-huh.” you replied dully. 

“i’ll take that, you can have mine.” He swapped fry baskets with you and your eyebrows raised as he proceeded to eat the ketchup-saturated food. And then you wondered how skeletons ate food. _‘Seriously gotta stop asking questions like that.’_ you mentally scolded yourself.

You alternated between eating and finishing the remainders of your whiskey. By now, you felt you were walking on cloud-9 with the way you were starting to sway. Thankfully, eating food somewhat helped hold your perception intact, for the most part. “So, Sans,” he paused in the middle of his meal and looked over as you continued, “How long have you and Papyrus been living in Snowdin?”

He considered your question for a moment before responding, “not sure anymore. been a lot longer than i’d like to think, anyway. feels like forever sometimes.”

You nod along and ask another question, “So which one of you is the older brother anyway? I can’t really tell.”

“yeah, why’s that?” he shot over a grin.

“I dunno. It’s just kinda hard to tell. I’d assume that maybe you are?”

“maybe,” he shrugged, “we’re pretty close in age, so i just kinda say that he’s the older brother.”

You already had the impression that Sans cared a lot for his brother, but this affirmed that position. Regrettably, a pinprick of jealousy crept into your gut and you smiled a bit, “That’s sweet.”

Sans chuckled with a bit of nervousness and rubbed the back of his neck. There was an odd twinge of blue coloring his cheekbones and you wondered if that’s how skeletons blushed. _‘That’s… actually kinda cute.’_ You thought passingly. 

Wait.

You blinked a few times and felt your shoulders tense, _‘Oh.’_

You coughed and finished your drink before returning to your meal. You hoped that passing thought was just the alcohol talking. People had odd thoughts like that when drinking, right? It reminded you of that accidental thought you had about Toriel once and then realized it didn’t take alcohol to slip then. With dismay, you wondered just how bad stray thoughts like that could go if when intoxicated.

Just to double-check, you snuck a sideways glance at Sans. You watched every small movement he made and admired how fascinating it was to watch a skeleton move without muscles or skin. You wondered if his bones were soft or rough, warm or cold. Watching his shoulders, you noted that they moved as if he were breathing, despite having no lungs to breathe with. When Sans noticed your stare, he met it with a wink and grin. Your stomach dropped and your face heated up.

_‘Ohhh no…’_ you thought with dread as you cringed, _‘He’s hooot.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://scarlet-skelly.tumblr.com/


	6. Something New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original length: 2,936  
> New length: 3,282  
> Sentence fixes: 13  
> Paragraphs added: 2  
> New dialogue: 4

By the time you and Sans left Grillby’s, it was dark out, or well, it was darker than it had been before. There wasn’t a definitive sun or moon underground, or anything to indicate nighttime had come besides the atmospheric gloominess becoming more prevalent. The two of you walked a short distance through the town to what you assumed was the skeleton brother’s house. When stepping inside, you shrugged off Sans’ coat and returned it to him, “Thanks for letting me borrow this, I probably woulda froze to death without it.” Damn shame you had to return it too, it was super comfy. Although, you were still stuck in your clothes that still felt mildly damp. 

“nah, don’t mention it.” he said as he put his coat back on. His already stout frame was accentuated by the added attire. Broad shoulders always did come off as appealing.

You flush at the drunk thought and tucked you hair behind your ear, “Y-yeah. But still. Anyways…” you looked around the house and nodded with how impressively sized it was. Good sized living room with a close-by kitchen, and an upstairs balcony overlooking the room, “Nice place you got here. Any idea where Frisk and Papyrus might be?”

“probably up in his room.” he began to walk towards the stairs and gestured you to follow. 

You kicked off your shoes and left then by the door before trotting to catch up. Passingly, you thought it was odd to walk around in the snow with slippers, and yet then track through the house with them. Oddly enough, the carpeting didn’t look particularly stained with any dirt. After a very clumsy and drunken stumble up the stairs, you saw Sans standing at what you assumed to be Papyrus’ door and knocked a few times, the sound being much louder than anticipated, likely due to not having any flesh to soften the noise. When nothing was heard in response, San’s smile fell slightly and he called, “papyrus? you in there?”

After another silence, Sans opened the door and you leaned up on your toes to look over him through the door crack. The room was dark and you could make out the shadowy silhouette of Papyrus lying on the floor rolled up in blankets, and a tiny body sprawled upside down in a racecar shaped bed. You heard a small sigh of relief from Sans and he shut the door. As he leaned back, you lost your balance as his back bumped into you, causing you to stumble a bit and awkwardly grabbing his shoulders to keep yourself upright. You were close to him- way too close and Sans grinned with amusement, “you okay there, bud? or am i just _drop-dead handsome_?”

Your face broke into a smile and you covered your mouth to keep from laughing too loud. His shoulders were shaking with laughter under your hands and you and re-situated yourself upon your feet, “Sorry dude, just super dizzy right now. I should probably sit down and sober up.” You subconsciously rubbed your shoulders that were covered in goosebumps again. 

Sans eyed the gesture and said, “i guess your clothes are still wet, huh?” he seemed to debate something internally for a moment before patting your shoulder, “wait here.”

You blinked and muttered an ‘okay’ as he walked past you into another room, presumably his own bedroom. Awkwardly, you stood there and stared at the comically drawn bone picture on the wall. Somehow, you felt that Papyrus was responsible for that bit of décor. Soon afterward, Sans emerged from his room and was holding a bundle of clothes in his hand. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he handed them to you, “these uh… are mine. you don’t have to, but y’know, it might beat wearing wet clothes. they should fit.”

“Oh, you sure?” he nodded, “Thanks!” you took them from him and then asked, “Where can I change into them?”

Sans patted your back and guided you towards the stairs, “there’s a bathroom downstairs you can use. just watch your step.”

His hand remained on your back as you stumbled down the stairs one step at a time as if he was preparing to catch you in case you fell. The feeling of his hand was causing a tingling sensation in both your stomach and your head. After making the last step down, he patted you a few times before his hands retreated back into his pockets, “alright, that’s another tragedy avoided today.” He then gestured to a door on the far side of the living room. 

You chuckled and maintained a straight walk to the door. Upon walking in, you straightened out what he had given you. The shirt was exceptionally soft and with a picture of an atom on it saying ‘positive as a proton.’ You smiled and shook your head and you wondered how many silly t-shirts he had. Along with the shirt, he had also given you a pair of sweat pants which fit just as well. You walked back out into the living room feeling immensely better while holding onto your old folded up clothes, “So uh, where should I put these then?”

Sans looked at you from his position on the couch and grinned, “looking good. just leave them wherever, it doesn’t matter.”

You awkwardly stood there and decided it would be best to just set them on the back of the couch. Afterwards, you plopped down on the green couch next to Sans and he grabbed in between the cushions for a remote, he then turned on the TV and to a program with an odd looking robot performing a game show. Your head tilted to the side while the robot spoke in a highly annunciated accent and was asking the poor contestants ridiculous questions. Each time they failed, something terribly funny would happen and it reminded you of a really cheesy show you watched once as a kid, “This… kinda sucks.” You drawled.

“heh, yeah, it does.” Sans replied as he turned the volume lower. By now, the only purpose the TV served was background noise.

“So what kind of TV do you guys watch down here? Besides, y’know, _this_.”

Sans shrugged and he readjusted himself in his seat, seeming to sink even further into the couch, “not much, really. entertainment’s in a bit of a short supply down here.”

You hummed in response and leaned against the arm of the couch, “That’s fine, I don’t really watch much TV anyways.” You looked over at Sans, “So then, what do you do for fun, if not this?”

“hm?” he tilted his head and met your gaze with a lazy smile, “ah… besides sleep?”

“Hah, I dunno, sleep is pretty fun.” You admit, “Hell, I don’t sleep _enough_.”

“yeah? why’s that?” he crossed his arms and seemed to be expecting an interesting response. But to you, it felt like he was turning the conversation around. 

You shrug and your eyes shift to look down, “Ah, just busy most of the time. Work ‘n college stuff. Not much time for hobbies or anything.” You sighed and felt a headache coming in, “Ugh, things are gonna be a mess when I get back… _if_ I get back.” You began to rub your temples. The room was somewhat spinning and you blinked a few times to keep your vision straight. 

“you don’t think you’ll get back home?”

With another heavy sigh, you looked over and met Sans’ eyes, the lights within his eye sockets were somehow dimmer than before, “I don’t even know anymore.”

You look over to at the TV; by now the robot was doing some kind of knock off cooking show and juggling knives in between steps. You smiled a bit, “Y’know, out of all the ways this day coulda turned out, I’m glad it did the way it did.” You looked back at Sans, “You and Paps aren’t all that bad, but I can’t help but feel like we’re infringing on your hospitality.”

“nah, not at all. it gets a little _bonely_ sometimes anyway.” His grin widens and he appears to waggle non-existent eyebrows. 

You laugh and shake your head, “Yeah? So you’ve got _no body_ else to hang with?”

Sans had joined your laughing now and managed to say, “i’m glad how things turned out too, and that’s not a _fibula_.” He leaned his head back against the couch, “i actually kinda like this. it’s a good change from the usual.”

“Hah, glad you’re the one having fun then.”

“and you’re not?” he looked at you questioningly. 

“I am,” you confessed, “Funny guy like you can probably brighten anyone’s day.”

Sans laughed quietly and did that thing again, with the blue tinted face and rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes awkwardly flickered down and you did the same, feeling a small flutter in your chest. In the back of your mind, you felt a little silly. You didn’t really understand why that gesture put butterflies in your stomach, or even why a skeleton of all things was making you feel like a high schooler again. _‘It’s the whiskey, I swear.’_ You reasoned with yourself. So yeah, he’s a laid back guy who makes bad jokes. What could possibly be attractive about _that_? 

He was now fiddling with his hands a bit and it made you internally laugh with how uncharacteristic it looked. After a small internal debate, you relented and mustered up some courage, “Hey, mind if I see your hand real quick?” You promised to yourself that it was for an educational purpose, but knew that it was a lie. 

Sans seemed to be a bit confused by the request, but offered his hand palm side up regardless, “uh, sure, what for?”

“Oh you know just…” you hesitated for a moment before gently ghosting your fingers along his metacarpals; his hand twitched a bit at the contact, “curious.”

He breathed out a small laugh, “yeah? ‘bout what?”

You didn’t answer immediately since your focus was elsewhere. Your fingers ran along the bones of his hand and realized how incredibly smooth they felt. You leaned a bit closer and inspected the bones closely; they were surprisingly clean of any signs of wear or damage. Your thumb caressed along from his carpals and of course noticed that he wouldn’t have a pulse, but somehow the bones still _felt_ alive- a small amount of warmth coming from the appendage. All the way up to the tips of his phalanges. As you flipped his hand around, you mirrored his with your own, admiring the differences between the two hands. His bones were considerably thick and more robust than a normal human’s, you realized. It then hit you just how _odd_ it was that a monster resembled a human skeleton. Somehow, you didn’t think you could ever look at Halloween decorations the same ever again. With a bit of embarrassment, you wondered what it’d be like to see the rest of his body. You know…

For science.

Sans coughed nervously and you shyly leaned away while clearing your throat, “So uh- yeah, nice hand you got there.” You internally slapped yourself for that one. You were the queen of smooth.

He chuckled, “yeah?” you snuck a glace up at him and his cheek bones where tinted that same light blue again, “i’m always happy to _lend a hand._ ” He winked and you felt your stomach do a front-flip. 

You smiled bashfully and put up a casual front, “W-well, clearly. Again, it’s really nice of you to let us stay the night. We’ll try to get out of your… ah,” the upcoming phrase of ‘get out of your hair’ didn’t seem to work in this situation, “We won’t bother you for long.”

Sans sobered at your words and gave a half-shrug, “don’t matter to me how long you stay. it’d be a nice change of pace if you and the kid stuck around for a while, i guess. papyrus would be happy to have the company too.”

You nod, but don’t comment. The situation was a little too similar to the one with Toriel for comfort. Perhaps it was a good opportunity to learn a bit more about how to get home. Sans then stood up from the couch and said, “well, it’s getting a bit late. you should probably catch some z’s. i’ll bring down a blanket and a pillow for ya.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty beat,” you stretch and laid out on the couch while Sans went upstairs into his room. 

After a few minutes, he came back down stairs dragging a heavy comforter and a pillow under his arm. As he handed them to you he said, “will this work out for ya?”

“Yep, thanks!” you wrapped up in the blanket and got situated comfortably. 

Sans turned off the TV and you watched his shadowy outline walk up the stairs. At the top before his room, he turned towards you and you could see the faint lights from within his eye sockets glowing through the darkness, slightly illuminating the edges of the surrounding bones. You felt your blood run cold for a moment as you realized how freaky it looked and remembered that he really is a monster. In contrast to the appearance however, his deep voice was soothing, “let me know if ya need anything, alright? g’night.”

You pulled the covers up to your nose and quietly replied, “’Night.”

With that, Sans retreated into his room and you stared blankly in the dark room with an odd ball of anxiety with butterflies in your stomach. 

\-----------

“Auntie! Auntie, wake up! Papyrus is gonna make us breakfast!” 

Groaning, you crack open your eyes and feel Frisk’s little hands patting on your blanket covered body. The kid was practically vibrating in place and soon afterwards you heard thundering footsteps pound down the stairs and the accompanying voice, “HUMANS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL COOK THE GREATEST OF BREAKFASTS FOR YOU THIS MORNING!”

Immediately after hearing Papyrus’ boisterous voice, your ears were ringing and you head _hurt_. Hell, your entire body was aching all over. Part bruises, part muscle strains, and the rest were grueling aftereffects of last night’s whiskey. _‘I hate hangovers.’_ You thought glumly. You pulled the blanket over your head and moaned an unintelligible response. Frisk began to shake you, “Come ooon, Auntie! Stop being such a sleepyhead!” 

“Five more minutes.” You mumble. It was a lie. You wanted five more hours. Or days, give or take. 

“COME TINY HUMAN! I WILL SHOW YOU THE WAYS OF A MASTER CHEF!” Papyrus’ voice caused your headache to come reeling all over again and you pushed yourself even further into the couch cushions. 

You heard Frisk run into the kitchen and you breathed a small sigh of relief. But before you could let your body relax and again and try to fall back into your slumber, loud bangs of kitchenware split through the silence. Between the pots and pans clanging and Frisk and Papyrus’ loud speaking, you knew that more sleep was impossible. Thus, you rolled off the couch and ungracefully landed on the floor in a giant heap of misery. After a small time of recuperation, you willed yourself to your feet and shuffled into the kitchen. Perhaps some food and water would help. 

As you walked into the kitchen, Papyrus greeted you, “AH! TALL HUMAN, ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE GREATEST BREAKFAST YOU’VE EVER HAD THE FORTUNE OF EXPERIENCING?” 

You blinked sleepily and took in the ingredients laid out across the counter, it looked like… “Spaghetti for breakfast?” you weren’t sure if your stomach could handle such heavy food right now, but just maybe it was what you needed.  
“OH COURSE, WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST?” he reasoned.

“Spaghetti!” Frisk chimed in as they delicately placed a single noodle in the pot one by one. 

“EXACTLY!”

With a sigh, you managed to find the cups, but failed to find the sink. That is, until you looked up and saw that it was absurdly elevated and above a door. Somewhere in your chest, you heard the sound of your heart breaking, _‘I just want some water…’_ you frowned and stumbled back out of the kitchen and to the bathroom.

After enough water to satisfy a fish, you attempted to tame your disheveled appearance in the mirror. A shower was highly warranted, but you didn’t have any other clothes to change into, and it’d be too rude to ask Sans for something else to borrow. Neither did Frisk, now that you thought of it. Perhaps with what little monster money you scrounged up, you could buy something clean to wear. 

You returned to the kitchen to see Papyrus demonstrating a very passionate and rapid stirring technique, and then promptly walked out to lie on the couch. As sore as you felt, and despite the terrible headache, you were somewhat content. Frisk was clearly having a lot of fun, and Paps seemed to be as well. Hell, even you found some form of enjoyment when accompanied by either of the skeleton brothers, perhaps Sans in particular. His easy-going personality was pleasant to be around. 

You momentarily thought about home and considered if it were possible to remain in contact with them after you left. Frowning, you realized that you didn’t know much about why all the monsters were down here or why they didn’t leave. The old story from your childhood mentioned something about them being trapped underground by a magical barrier. _‘Is there a way to break the barrier?’_ you considered.

By now, you were lying face down on the couch and you rubbed your face against the pillow, trying to think of what the possibilities might be.

“mornin’.”

You jumped and looked up to see Sans standing nearby, grinning as per usual, “Oh! Hey, how’d you sleep?”

“with my eyes closed.” He winked and you rolled your eyes in response. 

You sat up on the couch and massaged your shoulders, “Frisk and Paps are in the kitchen making breakfast.”

“spaghetti?” he guessed.

“Yep.”

Sans nodded and began to walk towards the kitchen, but you stopped him by asking, “Hey, Sans. Do you… there’s a barrier that keeps you guys down here, right?”

His shoulders tensed at the questions and he half turned around to look at you, seeming to be perturbed, “yeah? what about it?” he answered cautiously.

“So then…” you licked your lips and posed the questions carefully, “How can you leave? I mean, it’s not permanent- is it?”

Sans was quiet for what felt like a long time. His gaze was fixated on the ground. When he finally responded, his words were wary, “remember how we were supposed to be hunting for humans?” you nod, “yeah well… that’s part of how to break the barrier,” he turned to look at you with dim eyes, “with seven human souls, it can be broken.”

A chill curled in your gut and you felt as if you already knew the answer, but asked regardless, “And… how many souls do you have?”

“six.”

_‘The six missing people.’_ You realized. That’s where they went. Toriel’s warnings were true; you and Frisk really were in danger. Your face must have given away your worry when Sans attempted to comfort you, “but uh… don’t worry, alright? papyrus and i won’t tell anyone you’re here. and most monsters don’t even know what a human looks like.”

You swallow thickly and nod, “Okay.” You manage to say weakly. 

Sans then continued his path to the kitchen and you rubbed your head. 

_‘Shit just got real.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://scarlet-skelly.tumblr.com/


	7. Falling Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original length: 2,417  
> New length: 2,680  
> Sentence fixes: 10  
> Paragraphs added: 1  
> New dialogue: 5

Breakfast was… interesting, to say the least. Papyrus’ spaghetti was probably one of the most inedible things you’ve ever had the misfortune of experiencing, but when you retained your gag and looked up at his hopeful expression, you couldn’t help but smile and give him a thumbs up. You didn’t know how someone could prepare pasta to such a bitter degree, but then again, who were you to say that? Your cooking talents were none too impressive either. A college budget usually restrained you to microwave meals and bumming off other people’s leftovers. 

Frisk somehow managed to keep a straight face through the whole meal, and although you didn’t actually _see_ Sans eat his food, it somehow was gone a few minutes later. And, of course, he complimented Papyrus on his effort. The skele-bros relationship was truly sweet. You mused if your sibling relationship could ever be that positive.

Probably not.

You decided afterwards that it would be a good idea to pick up some extra clothes from the local store so you wouldn’t be stuck borrowing clothes from Sans. Papyrus had left after breakfast to patrol for any more humans that may have fallen underground and Sans… well, he didn’t exactly say where he was off to. You had a feeling that Sans was simply a reserved individual. Thus, you and Frisk were walking up and down the general store’s aisles, trying to find something that would be warm and well-fitting. Considering how monsters literally came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, the selection was rather… unique. 

Some of the shirts had optional holes for spikes, or extra sleeves for multiple appendages, some of them didn’t have sleeves at all. Considering nothing in stock was designed for a human, it was difficult to find something that would cater to your preferences, then again, if the skeletons could find something that fit, it’d only make sense if you could as well. Although, that wasn’t taking into consideration that Papyrus’ ‘battle body’ was homemade. Sans was likely behind that little project, you speculated. 

Frisk had repetitively run up holding something bizarre or straight up goofy, a big smile across their face. Children’s clothes underground seemed to have a fad with being stripped. Eventually, Frisk settled on some acceptable clothing that fit alongside a warm jacket to accompany it. You, in turn, found an outfit that would complement the cold weather and was especially comfy. Including a coat that was more than cozy enough to insulate yourself from the brisk air. 

The money you had spent on the clothes was more than you anticipated and you were becoming concerned with how to earn more money. You didn’t have any intension of sticking around for longer than necessary, so finding a job was out of the question. And it was hardly appropriate to bully monsters out of their funds in a fight. You and Frisk had a roof over your heads, at least. But the last thing you wanted to do was to become a leech and rely on the skeletons for food.

After leaving the store, you looked upwards to where the sky should have been, no snow was falling for now, but it was equally as cold. There wasn’t a ceiling per se, underground. But there wasn’t a sky either. No sunlight at all, just a never ending sea of darkness above that eventually led to the underside of the mountain. Frowning, you remembered what Sans had said about the barrier and the required human souls to break it. Was it possible for a human to cross the barrier alone? You hadn’t thought to ask that question earlier. Sans seemed to be so bothered by the line of questioning, you would’ve felt guilty for interrogating him further. _‘How the hell are we gonna get home?’_

“Auntie!” 

You snapped out of your thoughts and looked down to see Frisk rolling a small snowball along the ground, “Come on! Help me make a snowman!”

They had already gotten off to a strong start as they continued to push the snow around, accumulating more as they pushed it along. You smiled kindly and set down your bags, “Alright, sweetheart. Sounds like a good idea.”

Together, the two of you had worked to form a rather large sized snowman. You weren’t wearing your new coat yet, and were shaking intensely during the exercise, but you didn’t have the heart to pull Frisk away from the fun. You both delicately sculpted the snowman into rounded circles, and granted you didn’t have any decorations to adorn it with; Frisk was satisfied with simply drawing in the face with their freezing hands. 

Although you insisted on returning home afterwards, a small yellow monster without arms approached and eagerly jumped about while asking Frisk if they wanted to play together. Frisk acted out their puppy dog look on you when they begged to stay outside longer and you relented. Snowdin was a quiet town, and you hadn’t even met a mean monster yet. Odd, considering the name itself would signify nasty behavior. Part of you questioned how they received such a title to begin with. In the end, you decided that Frisk would be safe enough playing outside without supervision and headed back to the house to change into your new clothes. 

After a well needed shower and clothes change, you practically felt like a new person.

Thanks to a hearty breakfast and plenty of water, your hangover headache was beginning to dull out and you were now sitting on the couch feeling like a true potato. Distantly, you heard the sound of kids playing outside and hoped that Frisk was getting along with the local monsters okay. In the back of your mind, the situation felt really… normal. Your eyes drifted around the unfamiliar house that already felt comfortable, homely and wholesome in a way your dinky apartment didn’t. There was a peace of mind in this underground world that the surface lacked, you realized. Then again, that was probably just your laziness speaking. The overwhelming threat of failing class or missing work from trying to sleep in weren’t threatening anymore. Yet, the hanging question of how to return home was dragging your heart down like an anchor in the ocean. No matter how much you tried to distract yourself from the sensation, it never failed to make itself known.

You considered turning on the TV and finding something to watch, but the remote was on the floor and leaning over to pick it up felt too great of a task. Besides, your blurry memory of last night’s conversation with Sans suggested that television down here was limited. Therefore you opted to just sit there and stare blankly at absolutely nothing.

By some twist of luck however, the sound of the front door clicking grabbed your attention and the stout skeleton brother walked in. He seemed a bit surprised to see you sitting on the couch, but quickly recovered, “still here, huh?”  
You frowned and fiddled with your hands, “Oh uhh… do you want me to leave? Frisk and I can go.”

“ah, no, that’s not what i meant.”, he shoved his hands in his pockets as he sat down on the other end of the couch, “just surprised you two aren’t on the road or something. sticking around then?”

“For now, I guess.” you said. After all, where were you supposed to go? The whole barrier thing was still a giant mystery. 

Sans nodded and leaned back, “so what are you up to? just staring and hoping the tv will turn on by itself?” his smile was contagious.

“Hah, sure. but seriously, I’m bored out of my mind.” You droned out.

“well, i saw the kid playing outside, maybe they could use another play buddy.”

You smiled, “Yeah, probably. I just don’t have the energy to keep up with kids though.” With a sigh, you willed yourself to your feet and started to head to the door, “But whatever, I guess it won’t hurt to stick around outside. Got some warm clothes, finally.”

Sans took a look at you and his smile grew a bit, although you knew he was checking out the new outfit, you couldn’t help but feel like he was checking out more than just that. You coughed nervously and proceeded to step outside, but before you could close the door behind you, a boney hand held it open and Sans was walking out along with. You did a double-take and perked a smile, “Only fast when you wanna be, huh?”

He winked at you, “only for you, babe.” 

You froze in your tracks and felt your mouth hang open. Sans looked like he was ready to run back into the house.

“er, I mean-“

“Did you just-“

Your words interrupted each other and both of you were shocked into silence. _‘Babe? That’s unexpected.’_ Sans appeared to be just as surprised by the name as well with his face blue and hands being shakily shoved into his pockets. Your insides suddenly felt all ooey-gooey like molasses was swirling in your stomach, “W-well, alright then.” Your voice was a tad too high and wavered on the last word. You kept along and pretended that it never happened. 

Frisk was still playing outside with the monster kid. They were throwing snowballs at the other kid while the monster surprisingly was able to kick up and sweep snow back at Frisk with their legs and tail. A few monsters bustled about in the town, moving to and fro between buildings. Powder snow was gently trickling down and feeling the snowflakes against your face reminded you of catching them with your tongue as a kid. Once, you had even gathered up an entire batch of snow in your beanie hat and then promptly put in on your head afterwards, and then instantly regretting it. You smiled a bit at the memory and felt a little homesick.

Sans stepped up along your side and the ticklish feeling in your gut returned. That ‘babe’ slip was unsuspected and well… maybe not entirely negative. Pet names weren’t particularly a favorite of yours, but somehow coming from Sans, it wasn’t that bad. You snuck a sideways glance at the skeleton. He was watching the kids play too, but his expression was either disinterested or distracted. 

You couldn’t really put a finger on how he felt. ‘Friend’ wasn’t exactly a term you threw around lightly, and he had already squeezed himself into that somehow, in the short time you’ve known him. Maybe it had something to do with his nature. _‘He’s decently likable, I suppose.’_ You thought quietly. In a way, the break in his cool demeanor to being flustered added to his… charm. 

You licked your chapped lips against the cold air and spoke up, “So… I gotta ask, what’s up with all the Christmas decorations?”

Sans seemed to be snapped out of whatever thoughts he was having and looked over at you with slight surprise before recovering, “o-oh, that?” Sans brought back that smile he normally wore and you wondered if there was any time he didn’t have it on, “heh, yeah, we have those up year-round. it’s a good way to cheer people up from the perpetual snow. gives us some kind of hope, y’know?”

You nodded knowingly. On the surface, it wasn’t uncommon for people to become depressed during the winter months following December. You then paused and said, “Wait, so… it’s winter here year-round?”

“yeah, pretty much.”

Your face scrunched up, “Wow, I uh… I couldn’t imagine having nothing but winter all year.”

Unconsciously, you looked up at the missing sky and sighed. Sans gave you a knowing look and his gaze drifted back down to the ground. As peaceful as this town was, and as kind as the Sans was, you couldn’t help but feel a sickening feeling envelope your insides. You missed the warm feeling of the sun upon your skin, or the awe of looking up and watching the few stars you could see within the city’s limit. A frown touched your lips and you couldn’t suppress the homesickness you felt. Did the monsters feel this way? Did they feel the same yearning for fresh air as you did? 

Your thoughts were interrupted when Sans spoke up, “sorry about that, earlier. i guess i just kinda like how different everything is right now.” His gaze met yours.

You realized he was talking about his Freudian slip from earlier. Have the lights of his eyes always been that pretty?

“Y-yeah?” you managed to find your voice.

“yeah,” he nods and looks back out to the scenery of the town. He was quiet for a moment before speaking back up in a hushed voice, “imagine taking a walk down the same pathway every day. not because you like it, but because it’s the only one you can. and it’s always the same, nothing ever changes.”

Your lips pout into a frown, “Is this a hypothetical question?”

Sans gives you a simple look, his smile lacking in quality, “sure.”

“Okay then, go on, I’m listening.” You nod.

He sighs, despite not having lungs, “so then, one day, you’re walking along that road, and suddenly there’s this… gem.” His eyes flicker to you if only for a moment, “maybe a pink one.” You momentarily think about your pink soul and started to feel your heart pound.

Suddenly, this scenario didn’t feel quite so hypothetical.

“so uh… yeah,” Sans’ cheekbones were beginning to tint blue again, “it’s unexpected, y’know? after a long time of the same thing every day, it just kinda surprises you. then… things don’t really feel so grey anymore.” He looked at you with an uncertain expression, “what i’m tryin’ to say is… it’s different having you be here. and i think it’s a good kind of different.”

You felt your lips part slightly at his admittance. It was… thoughtful, you realized. _‘Was this his roundabout way of saying he’s… sweet on me?’_ The idea of it made your hands tingle and you could almost feel the blood rush to your face. Suddenly, your ears felt very hot against the cold air. 

But that would be absurd, right? He’s a _skeleton_. Wouldn’t he be attracted to something more… like him? Well, you supposed that a human wasn’t too far off, since you technically had a skeleton inside of you. Or wait- that was an awkward thing to think about now. Could he even-

 _‘No. No. Stop. Stop that line of thinking.’_ You swallowed thickly.

You must have been staring at Sans for too long when you then noticed he was shifting uncomfortably, “you alright there, buddy? i-uh, sorry, maybe that was a bit too forward.”

 _‘Forward? Hardly, I’ve heard worse from guys before.’_ You wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. A greater question at hand though was- were you attracted to Sans? The way he blushed was cute and he certainly knew how to make you laugh. Not many people enjoyed making bad jokes the way Sans did. He was generous with the way he offered comfort from the cold and reassurance from being lost in an unfamiliar place. Physically, he was _big-boned_ , you realized with a bit of humor, and admittedly, being a skeleton made him absolutely fascinating to you. 

The answer seemed pretty clear. 

You offered Sans a shy smile and fiddled with your hands, “No, you… there’s nothing to be sorry for.” He eyes lit up a bit and you continued, “I think you’re pretty different too… in the good way. 

Sans grinned widely and he chuckled, “yeah? you sure i’m not just a _numbskull_?” 

You returned the cheeky smile and replied, “I dunno, with all that snow piling on top of your head, you might be.”

The two of you laughed together and you looked down at the ground feeling warmer than ever before. You felt like you had fallen into another hole altogether and maybe- _just maybe_ \- it was leading to a good place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://scarlet-skelly.tumblr.com/


	8. Fortress of Terror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original length: 3,556  
> New length: 4,078  
> Sentence fixes: 5  
> Paragraphs added: 4  
> New dialogue: 10

The next few days passed relatively quickly, and before you knew it, you’d been underground for a week. Time here passed oddly considering the lack of sunlight or moonlight and it was starting to drive you a little nuts. You never thought you’d miss the feeling of the sun upon your skin until now, or to look up at the night sky to see the few stars visible from within the city limits. Frisk was on their best behavior, thankfully. It wasn’t often that you’ve been able to spend so much time with the kid, considering you rarely saw your sister, and it was definitely tiring. You could scarcely believe that people take care of kids this way _every day_ for years. Of course, kids eventually grow up and mature, but still, it was a hard task you weren’t one-hundred percent prepared to do it.

For example, sometimes Frisk would have moments where they were just plain angry and it always felt like it lasted _forever_ ; very little satisfied them during such phases. Somehow, you felt that they had inherited this from their mother. Perhaps their father too- you’d never met the guy. Regardless, occasions like that drove you nuts. Papyrus, oddly enough, handled moments such as those very well. The guy had a talent with children that made you slightly jealous. Then again, he was very good at cheering up anybody. His cooking may be terrible, but he made up for it with enthusiasm and honesty. People like him were a rare treat.

You could definitely see why Sans had such an admiration for the taller skeleton.

Speaking of Sans, he was in and out of the house an awful lot. He’d disappear for hours and all Papyrus said was- “OH YES, SANS DOES THIS ALL THE TIME. BUT HE ALWAYS COMES BACK AT THE END OF THE DAY.”

A mysterious man indeed.

You still had yet to even have a glimpse into his room that was perpetually locked. Every so often, when he was home, colorful lights would flash from underneath the door crack and that only raised your suspicion. Yet, it was hardly any of your business what Sans did, even though you missed him every once in a while. His presence was somewhat addictive, you noticed. It helped to have someone around that knew exactly how to make you smile, or well, ‘tickle your funny bone’- as he would’ve said. 

Conversations between the two of you were uneventful since the very awkward confession that the two of you were more than happy to share company. Although it had been a bit disappointing, you didn’t want to get too attached. Chances were that if you and Frisk made it beyond the barrier, you wouldn’t see the monster ever again. 

Such a thought circled into your chest and weighed it down significantly. The skeleton brothers had nestled themselves into a special place in your heart over short span you’ve known them. Monsters did that, you realized. They were all just so full of love and compassion. In all of your years of life on the surface, there was only one real friend you could account for. 

A very deep part of you… almost didn’t _want_ to leave.

Currently, you were washing dishes in the kitchen. After a very long negotiation with Papyrus, you had managed to convince them that lowering the kitchen sink would prove beneficial to the dirty dishes situation. In turn, you took up the brunt of keeping the house tidy. Despite your efforts, the house always managed to end up in mass disarray. At least you were capable of paying back the brother’s hospitality in some manner. Even then, it didn’t feel like enough.

Your fingers were pruning from the extended exposure to water and steam was lazily rising up into the air around your face. The hot air felt pleasant compared to the permanent winter climate in Snowdin. The sound of dishes clattering filled the air and you could faintly hear Frisk and Papyrus watching MTT in the living room. The program was… interesting, to say the least. It was Papyrus’ favorite, and Frisk loved the bright lights and wacky humor from the shows. It served as a good distraction for the two most energetic people you’ve ever met. The scene played itself out as absurdly domestic, and it that was oddly okay with you. 

It was different in a good way. 

After drying and putting away all of the dishes, you walked into the living room and an interesting idea came to mind, “So who feels like a great pillow fort is in order?”

The idea took off like a rocket and the three of you were more than happy to gather up any and all blankets and pillows in the house to construct a castle of coziness. You had done this more than enough times as a child and it felt good to re-visit those memories. Frisk had managed to fish out a flashlight from heaven knows where and had it standing upright in the center of the plush fortress. Papyrus was a bit too tall and you giggled when you saw that his legs were sticking out from the side as he lied down. He was all for the concept of a pillow fort and seemed to be competing with Frisk for who could make the best shadow puppets. His long boney fingers were exceptionally dexterous. Hands like his were typically referred to as ‘piano fingers’. But somehow, the mental image of Papyrus playing classical music on a piano was amusing. Yet, it wasn’t impossible. 

Papyrus was making an impressive shape of a rabbit in the flashlight when Frisk excitedly began to pat their hands on the floor, “Oh, oh! We should tell scary stories!”

“AH YES! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL TELL TALES OF TERROR THAT WILL BE SURE TO ENCROACH UPON YOUR DREAMS IN THE NIGHT!” he situated himself into a comfortable position and looked to be both excited and resolute at the same time, his voice dipped down to probably the quietest you’ve ever heard him speak, “Once upon the surface, a group of humans were tearing down a tall building. Floor by floor, they dismantled and bulldozed to their heart’s content. However, when they reached a certain floor, in a closet they had found… A SKELETON!”

You jumped a bit in response, but mostly due to the sudden raise of Papyrus’ voice. Frisk covered their mouth with their hands and Papyrus continued his story, seemingly satisfied with the response, “AHEM… yes, indeed. They found the skeleton, but it was without any sign of life or soul. So, the humans called for the police, worried as to why a skeleton was in the building they were tearing down. It had been crouched over and absolutely _covered_ with long abandoned spider webs. When the police arrived, they inspected the bones of the mysterious figure. After a great investigation they had come upon the conclusion!”

Frisk was leaning in towards Papyrus, enraptured in his story and eager to hear the outcome. With a sly grin, he finished, “It was… THE MISSING HIDE AND SEEK CHAMPION!” 

A wide grin broke on both of you and Frisk’s faces and they giggled without abandon, “Paps! That’s not scary, that’s funny!”

“IT WAS A SKELETON! OF COURSE THAT’S SCARY!” 

“You’re not scary, Papyrus!” Frisk replied. 

Papyrus begged to differ and you rubbed your head, still smiling brightly. The story was cute, and felt so appropriate for him. Of course his story wouldn’t be truly scary. Frisk began to bounce in place, “Okay, okay, I got one too!” they looked down at the floor and scrunched their face up in concentration for a moment before starting, “Okay, so… there was once a man who _never_ smiled, like you could tell the funniest joke, and he _still_ wouldn’t laugh! The old man lived in a cave just out of town, and people would say that he had this super big stash of treasure in the cave, keeping it all to himself. So one day, someone from the town thought it’d be a good idea to go to the cave and steal all of his treasure.” 

Frisk continued, “They climbed up the mountain to the old man’s cave in the middle of the night so they wouldn’t get caught. When they were inside, they turned on their flashlight and peaked around inside the cave,” Frisk had grabbed the flashlight and was slowly spanning it around the inside of the pillow fort for dramatic effect, “but the cave had only a pile of bones inside!” you heard a small gasp from Papyrus and you bit back a smile. 

“And the person got _really_ mad about it! But then suddenly, they heard a noise behind them. And when they turned around, the old man was there staring right at them! So they pull out a gun and they say ‘show me where your treasure is, or else.’” Frisk mimicked a deep and menacing voice for the robber and you couldn’t help but smile, “The old man then said ‘Money? You’ve been hearing some lies, haven’t ya?’ Then, the old man _smiled_. And then it kept smiling _bigger_ and _bigger_ until…” they paused and mimicked the grin eerily, “he revealed a whole set of razor sharp teeth in his mouth like a vampire! Then he jumped at the robber and sucked out all of his blood!”

Papyrus’ mandible was gaping open in expressive horror and your eyebrows had risen up sky-high. Frisk giggled behind their hands, “Haha, I got you two! Did’ja like it?”

“THAT WAS…” Papyrus managed, “AMAZING!” he all but blurted out.

You smiled and gave them a thumb up, “Awesome sweetie, you tell a great scary story.”

Frisk was pleased with the praise and shoved the flashlight in your direction, “Your turn, Auntie! Tell us a super scary one!”

You fumbled with the light and smiled nervously, “Oh… okay then. I guess I could give it a shot.” You weren’t exactly prepared for this and thought for a moment. What was a good scary story…? When it hit you, you grinned manically and lit your face with the flashlight, “Alright, I got one… Peter was an average teenager who lived a normal life. He spent most of his time alone at home, since he didn’t really participate in any after-school activities, nor did he really have any friends. As a kid growing up, he usually would play pretend and go on fantastical journeys by his lonesome, and sometimes he would even come up with an imaginary friend to accompany him. Imaginary friends aren’t an uncommon thing for children to have after all, and one day they eventually grow out of having one at all.”

“That included Peter, his days of pretending to have an invisible friend had long past. But his loneliness… never truly went away. So one day, he thought that maybe he could be like a kid again and pretend to have that make-believe friend again. Peter sat in his room, and envisioned another person to be there with him. When he did so, the fabricated image his mind came up with was an exact copy of him- a doppelganger. For the next few days, this was how Peter found entertainment.”

“He would talk to his double and fabricate Fake-Peter’s responses for hours, having entire conversations with just himself. Over time, it became easier for Peter to focus a part of his mind to visualize his copy standing nearby, or right beside him. Eventually, he didn’t have to focus it anymore; Fake-Peter was just _there_ , all the time without even thinking about it. The imagined person’s responses and actions had also become second-nature to Peter. It was almost as if they were real.”

“Peter’s loneliness faded away, he had created his own friend with just his mind, and was content. Until… he noticed some odd changes. Fake-Peter would look weird sometimes, out of proportion, or sometimes with an unsettling facial expression. When Peter would look in a mirror, he saw his other-self staring back with a wild grin. During normal tasks such as eating, his double would just stand there, hanging right over his shoulder. And whenever he woke up in the middle of the night, Fake-Peter would be there… watching him with unblinking eyes. 

“Peter became so unsettled by this, he started to try and _un-imagine_ this entity. But no matter how hard he tried to ignore the figure, it never ceased to exist. He ignored his double for over a week until one day, as he was getting ready for school, Fake-Peter appeared right before him, eyes crazed and mouth cracked into a smile. Peter did all he could to ignore him, but wherever his gaze drifted, so did the image. Eventually, he gave up and said, ‘Go away, you’re not real!’”

“But the imaginary clone’s smile did not waver as he responded, ‘Oh, but I _am_ real. You, on the other hand, _are not_.’ Peter was confused by his words and tried to go back to ignoring him, but when he attempted to continue his morning routine, his hands would move right through objects, as if his hands were incorporeal. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pick anything up, or even move an object. His horror only increased when he saw his counterpart actively pick up his blankets and make the bed.”

“Fake-Peter had never been able to move objects before, he was certain that he’d gone mad by now. So he asked, ‘How are you doing that?’ The fake didn’t respond. Peter watched as his imagined-self went throughout the day, interacting with his parents and attending school in his place. Nobody could see Peter anymore, no matter how hard he tried to move something, or how loud he screamed, he went unnoticed. Even his once proclaimed friend, the one _he_ created, ignored him. It was as if… he was never real to begin with.”

Papyrus and Frisk stared at you with wide eyes and mouths slightly agape. Your eyes shifted nervously and suddenly felt embarrassed by the story, “So uh… yeah, that’s my story.”

“That was awesome, Auntie!” Frisk exclaimed. 

“AH YES, THERE IS A DEFINITE TINGLING IN MY BONES, WELL DONE, HUMAN!”

“cool story, babe.”

You jumped and fumbled with the flashlight, shining it beside you only to see the illuminated face of a grinning skull. 

Everyone in the fort let out a yelp of surprise, Papyrus’s being notably the highest, “BROTHER, WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?!”

Sans shrugged nonchalantly, “oh y’know, a while ago, i guess. so what’s up?”

You continued to stare at him with wide eyes, _‘What the hell, I didn’t even hear the door open.’_ He took notice to the stare and his grin only seemed to grow. 

Cheeky bastard.

“AH YES, WELL THEN. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE CONSTRUCTED A GREAT FORT OF BLANKETS AND PILLOWS FOR OUR AMUSEMENT, AND HAVE BEEN TELLING SCARY STORIES.” Papyrus explained.

“Do you have any scary stories, Sans?” Frisk asked.

“oh yeah, totally.” Oh you _had_ to hear this. Sans grabbed the flashlight from you and you watched his hands in admiration. Somehow, watching hands move like that without flesh was fascinating. He fiddled with the flashlight for a moment before speaking, “so what’s the difference between a poorly dressed person riding a tricycle, and a well-dressed person riding a bicycle?” 

You raised a brow and utter, “What?” without thinking.

“a tire.” San’s said with an ecstatic smile. 

Frisk began to laugh and Papyrus grit his teeth, “SANS, THAT WAS A JOKE, NOT A STORY!”

“oh yeah, sorry bro. so then, did you hear about the kidnapping yesterday?”

“OH! NO I DIDN’T, THAT SOUNDS TERRIBLE!” Papyrus lamented. 

Sans winked, “don’t worry, the kid’s awake now.”

Papyrus face palmed so hard _you_ felt it. Frisk was delighted. 

The rest of the night’s activities died down from there, between a few more bad jokes from Sans, Papyrus’ outward misery in response to them, and Frisk laughing non-stop at the brother’s banter.

Frisk and Papyrus had already fallen asleep within the fort. You supposed that high energy people such as them would be the type to pass out early in the night. Lazily, you lied in the bundle of blankets and looked over to see Sans still awake, the lights of his eyes illuminated the dark space. As creepy as it was, you couldn’t help but smile and simply accept it as a part of who he was. When Sans glanced in your direction, you hadn’t even realized you were smiling until he said, “what’s _that_ look for?” his tone was teasing.

You blinked a few times in bewilderment and you smiled shyly, “Oh you know…”

Sans’ smile widened and he propped his skull behind his arms, “actually no, i don’t. please elaborate.”

You restrained a giggle and shook your head dismissively, “I’m just having fun, that’s all. I’ve really been enjoying the last few days.”

“yeah?” Sans’ voice trailed off as if he was prompting you to continue. It was only through the dim lighting of his eyes that you could see the blue coloring his zygomatic arches. 

“Yeah,” you propped your chin underneath your hand as you lied upon your stomach, “Your eyes are kinda cute.” You blurt out unknowingly. 

As soon as those words left your mouth, you froze and your eyes widened, it didn’t even take alcohol for you to form those accidental words. _‘W-well, it’s his fault for having those bright eyes!’_ your internal reasoning was poor at best. It was too late to take back your words; they were said and Sans appeared to be in the middle of his own thoughts. You both wanted to know what he was thinking and were afraid of his thoughts at the same time. When Sans embarrassingly hid his face behind the fluff of his hood, you couldn’t help but feel even warmer. How did this skeleton make you feel like a freaking teenager again? 

Sans made several attempts to respond before forming a coherent sentence, “y-yeah? well, i mean, _your_ eyes are pretty cute. how does that make _you_ feel?”

You sputtered and shook you head dismissively. To be completely honest, it made you feel joyful and bashful at the same time. He had to be lying, right? He was just flattering you… right? You snuck a glance at him and his glowing eyes were just as bright as always through the darkness, the lining of his smile barely visible to you. What the hell was this skeleton _doing_ to you? It felt was so weird. It felt was so wrong. But…

_‘I feel so at peace.’_

You adjusted yourself into a comfortable position and couldn’t wipe the content smile from your face and you whispered sleepily, “It feels pretty cute.” 

Sans was quiet after that. The dim lighting produced from his eyes soon disappeared and you assumed he was closing his eye sockets. Perhaps he was just as tired as you were. Or well… maybe he was feigning sleep to avoid a situation he didn’t know how to react to. Regardless, somewhere along the night, you stretched out and very subtly, and you could feel Sans’s shoulder and arm against your own and the gentle heat radiating from his form and fell asleep, feeling nothing but peace. 

\---------------

Somewhere along the night, you awoke still wrapped up in the massive pile of blankets to turn into a more comfortable position, but then noticed a dim light coming from the kitchen. You blinked a few times and tried to wipe the bleariness away. Stumbling to your feet, you shuffled into the kitchen to see Sans leaning against the counter and filing out what looked like a crossword. The headlight above the stove was on, and a pleasant smell enveloped your nose, “Sans?”

He looked up to you, eyes slightly wide in surprise and he smiled, “hey, what’re you doin’ up?”

“I could ask you the same.” You stepped into the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water. 

“eh, couldn’t sleep.” He replied casually as he continued to work on the crossword.

After taking a few sips from your water, you leaned against the counter beside him, “Probably because you nap so much during the day.”

“yeah, maybe.”

It was quiet for a bit, with only the occasional sounds of Sans’ pencil writing on paper. Looking over at his progress, you noted that his handwriting ironically looked a lot like the font, Comic Sans. _‘Oh… that explains a lot.’_ You internally smacked yourself for not making that connection sooner. It also explained Papyrus’ unconventional name, you had at first associated his name with the plant. You wondered if the rest of his family were named after type fonts. It occurred to you that you didn’t know much about his family, beyond the two brothers. 

The nice smell you noticed upon walking into the kitchen seemed to be stronger now and you sniffed around a bit before asking, “Are you making something?”

Sans glanced over at you before writing another answer into the crossword, “yeah, do ya like cupcakes?”

“Cupcakes?” you almost laughed. Out of all the things you imagined him to be making, pastries were the last, “I didn’t know you could bake.”

His smile grew a bit, “i don’t do it very often. hope you like chocolate.”

You nodded, finished your glass of water, and spoke as you put the glass back into the sink, “So where’d you learn how? Somehow I don’t see Papyrus ever making much else besides spaghetti.”

Sans was quiet again and his hand had paused in mid-stroke. You assumed the sentence bothered him, but why? It took a moment, but he eventually went back to writing and his reply was soft, “my dad.”

You were tempted to ask more questions, but when considering how concerning his reaction was, it felt like it was a touchy subject. Maybe that’s why you’ve never heard about the rest of his family yet. You attempted to smooth over the subject, “Yeah? That’s nice. Do you bake much else?” Perhaps steering the conversation away from family would improve his mood.

“heh, some other things, but i don’t have the energy. papyrus cooks spaghetti, i bake cupcakes.” His mood was still dour. 

Well that wouldn’t do.

You scrambled through your thoughts before finding the right response. Leaning towards him, your face wore a secret smile, “I bet your cupcakes are _egg_ -cellent.”

It worked, Sans chuckled lightly and he nudged you with his elbow, “hey, i thought i was the one who made the jokes. you _butter_ back off.”

You huffed out your laughter, trying to keep quiet enough to not wake the two still sleeping in the living room. After regaining your composure, you continued to lean closer to Sans, whispering defiantly, “ _Frank_ -ly my dear, I don’t give a _ham,_.”

Sans turned to offer a mock glare, but froze when he nearly bumped faces with you. You tilted away a bit and noticed just how close you gotten. Those appealing lit eyes were so _near_ , and well, so was the rest of him. Your eyes darted around his face briefly and you wet your lips out of embarrassment. The two of you backed away. Sans nervously rubbed the back of his neck while you cleared your throat. 

If Sans had lips, that situation would’ve become very awkward.

“w-well uh…” Sans looked over to see the kitchen timer about to go off, “i guess the cupcakes are all done.”

You nod without words as he turned off the timer and retrieved the food from the oven. The smell of chocolate was much stronger now and you smiled shyly, face still heated, “They look good, Sans.”

He shrugged off the compliment and asked, “do you wanna… help decorate them?”

“Of course.” You smiled at him. He caught your gaze and returned the smile with blue tinted cheeks. 

The two of your took care to frost the pastries and you hummed under your breath as you did so. There was warmth to the scene as you both worked in unison, murmuring small conversations in the quiet companionship of the kitchen. Your heart was brimming with cheer and harmony. Sans offered you the first taste test and you were delighted to find that they truly _were_ egg-cellent. 

Your kinship with Sans filled you with determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://scarlet-skelly.tumblr.com/


	9. Caving In

One trip to the library ended up answering a lot of your questions. At first, you were unsure of trying it at all, when considering the misspelled sign for the building, you had originally assumed whatever information you find would be inaccurate. And well, for all you knew, it still could be. You weren’t exactly in the position to be denouncing monster history, however. At least this way you would be able to avoid asking Sans and Papyrus intrusive questions.

You had learned so much by studying the multitude of books within the library shelves, such as- that monsters turn to dust when they died, rather than leaving behind their corpse the way humans do. They were entirely made up of magic and their souls were predominately formulated by feelings such as compassion. Well, that explained a lot about why they were all so nice. It was just a part of their biology. 

You almost envied them.

You also learned that monster souls were significantly weaker than human souls, since their ties to the physical world were lesser. As you sat down at one of the tables, you thumbed through an old book plainly titled, ‘Monster History’. Creativity was definitely in a short supply underground. There was a small stack of books around you of differing subjects, some useful while others were nonsensical. A few other monsters were in the library as well and their quiet conversations were primarily surrounding what they would print in the newspaper. It was a tad bit funny that in a world of magic and monsters, fantastical things rarely happened. Or perhaps, their definition of an odd event would be considered ordinary. 

Your finger traced absently along the weathered book page while your head leaned against your palm. There wasn’t much mentioned about life before the monsters were banished underground, only that they once were caught in a war against the humans and lost. The barrier was then erected by seven humans with magic. The connection between seven wizards and seven required souls to break the barrier was not lost on you. From there, the book went on about how the king and queen helped build the foundation of monster civilization; including the fact they once had a son. 

With lowered brows, you felt a pit of sorrow inside of you as you read about the story of how the kingdom lost the prince, and when Asgore declared war on the humans. The book began to talk about the barrier again. Upon reaching this part of the book, your finger paused and you sat up in your seat, excited that you were getting closer to what you’ve been looking for. However, the feeling of anticipation plummeted upon reading, ‘A human cannot cross the barrier with their soul alone, and must absorb the soul of a fallen monster in order to return to the surface.’ 

Oh no.

Your mouth went dry and you re-read the sentence over and over. _‘I… would have to kill someone in order to go home?’_ you thought with alarm. And not just one, you realize, but two people. One for you, another for Frisk. 

Doubt crept its way into your mind and you suddenly felt sick. Are the lives of two people really worth returning home? You wanted to immediately say ‘no’ and pretend that you weren’t selfish. But a deep part of you, a darkness you didn’t want to acknowledge, admitted to still considering the possibility. It felt like a massive tug-of-war match was battling within your mind. Cold logic versus ethical consciousness. You weren’t heartless, right? But…

You felt your bottom lip begin to tremble, slammed the book shut, and then stood up, your chair nearly toppling over as you did so. The action grabbed the attention of the librarians and they gave questioning looks. You didn’t want to think about how your face must look right now. Although you wanted to be polite and put the book away, you just couldn’t muster up the focus or the energy to do so. With a swift motion, you grabbed your coat and stormed out of the library. 

\---------------

You were sitting at the bar in Grillby’s without meaning to. Originally, you intended on going back to the skeleton brother’s house, but your body’s auto-pilot always seemed to steer your footsteps to the nearest bar. _‘Old habits die hard, I guess.’_ you thought as you ordered for a glass of whiskey. 

The bar was less packed this time, since it was somewhere in the afternoon. Most of the dog sentries were at their posts right now while some of the regulars were bumming out at the bar and making idle chatter. When Grillby set down your glass, you downed it fast and kept yourself from slamming the glass down afterwards. The hearty burn of the alcohol made your face scrunch up and your head shook involuntarily. Immediately, your head felt light and you looked at Grillby, “Another.”

His hand seemed to hesitate when he grabbed for your glass, but complied when you slapped down the appropriate amount of money for him. You didn’t have much leftover and was certain that the rest of it was going to be blown tonight. It was for a just cause, you tried to reason with yourself. 

You drank the next glass slower this time by your standards, but its contents were dwindling quickly. Staring into the bronze liquid, you subtly began to feel your lip tremble again, and the rest of the symptoms came swiftly. Your eyes started to burn and you sat at the bar with hands against your forehead and elbows propped up on the counter. 

All this time, you thought it was possible to get home. Just take Frisk and find the nearest exit that wasn’t way too high up to reach. But the obstacles kept piling up on top of each other. Getting past Toriel had been hard with how heartbroken she seemed about the two of you leaving. Then that stupid flower that got Frisk all riled up. You still didn’t know much about Frisk’s problem with that voice, they never mentioned it since then. Meeting the skeletons in Snowdin was a pleasant turn of events, but still hindered you from your end goal. 

And now… _this._

You thought about home; your dingy little apartment that you worked so hard to get and you were proud of regardless. You thought about college and how much fun you had advancing in your career and watching years of preparations fall into place. You even thought about your shitty family you still somehow found the capacity to love. Your sister that was rotten to the core, and yet in some way was able to muster up affection once in a while to remind you that she loved you, just like your mom did. Hell, you even missed your stupid cat that acted like a giant puppy. And then just like that… everything was _gone_.

 _‘I don’t want to kill anyone.’_

You chocked on a sob and rested your head on the counter top. Your shoulders heaved as you stifled the sounds of your crying. It wasn’t _fair_ , after all of that effort, all of that time invested into building a future, and just for it all to be taken away.

Momentarily, you thought about what it’d be like to kill a monster just to get home. But somehow, the mental image of stabbing your knife into some unsuspecting person’s chest and then watching them crumble to dust was just too much. It wasn’t right. It was _murder_.

A shaky and forced smile formed upon your lips and you suddenly felt like laughing. An almost hysterical feeling enveloped your mind and you stared down at the counter with teary eyes, realizing that you’ll never get to go home. You were stuck. Probably forever. _‘Holy shit, I might just die here.’_ Another sob racked your chest and you clenched your fists. 

Hope now… was lost to you.

Your entire body flinched when a gentle hand placed itself upon your shoulder, accompanied by a deep and comforting voice, “you okay there, pal?”

Looking up, your reddened eyes met with a familiar pair dark eye sockets. Sans’ smile was uneasy and he attempted to comfort you, “you’re lookin’ pretty down in the dumps here. wanna talk?”

Your gaze drifted downwards and you sniffed loudly. However, words would not come; you didn’t know what to say. The realization of being stuck underground for good was too new and fresh. Therefore, you settled with shaking your head ‘no’ and motioning Grillby for another drink. Sans sat down on the bar stool beside you. You both yearned for and rejected his presence at once. By instinct, it would be easier to be alone and work out your negative thoughts on your own. But having someone with you, especially someone as calming as Sans, was admittedly soothing. 

He said nothing as he sat beside you. After Grillby filled another drink for you, the monster gave Sans a bottle of ketchup, which he was now taking swigs from as he patiently sat at the bar. A small twinge of a smile peaked at your lips. The skeleton was much kinder than you gave him credit for, after all, few people would have the poise of sitting next to an upset friend without a word while waiting for them to open up. He didn’t pressure or prod you for answers, he just simply waited. 

It truly was a sweet gesture.

As you nursed your glass of whiskey, you appreciated Sans’ kindness on a whole new level. In the beginning, you suspected him of foul play with the way he hid behind a smile all the time and cracked jokes, only to see that he was just a laid back guy who enjoyed the simple things in life. Beyond that part of him, you saw how easily embarrassed he can become and how quiet and sincere he can be on serious subjects. Sans had many sides to him that you were just beginning to see and you had a feeling that more were to come. It was highly possible that there would be some you would never see at all. Perhaps that’s why he smiled so much. To hide parts of him that he didn’t want to be seen by anyone. Even Papyrus. 

You looked over at him a few times while you finished yet another glass of whiskey and a wordless feeling overwhelmed your center. It took a few attempts to manage out a few words, with each time you opened your mouth, hesitation and reluctance consumed your thoughts. In the end, you were able to say, “I’m sorry.”

Although your words were ambiguous, Sans looked at you with gentle eyes and said nothing in response. He was waiting for you to clarify your words on your own. For some reason, this gesture made you choke up again and more tears welled up in your eyes. The mental image of killing a monster came back to mind and you couldn’t comprehend how such a thought weaseled itself into your head to begin with. 

You grimaced and traced the lining of your glass with your fingertips, “I… read a book in the library.” You took a deep breath and felt your chest heave with unspoken sobs, “I learned more about the barrier.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Sans’ grip on the ketchup bottle tighten. The whole reason you went to the library was to avoid this conversation with him at all, and yet it still managed to happen against your will. Perhaps it was time to stop dancing around the issue. Sans tilted his head as his thumb ran along the plastic surface of the red bottle, “how about… we move this conversation elsewhere?” he offered.

You wanted to stay and keep drinking, but your head was positively swimming in drunkenness and the logical part of your brain pressured to listening to Sans’ request. Your limbs felt all flimsy and your face was numb. It would be for the best if you just went with it. After nodding in response, Sans hopped off his barstool and gestured you to follow him out of Grillby’s. When you stepped outside after him, he placed a hand on your back and looked at you, “we’re gonna take a shortcut, alright? close your eyes.”

It was an odd request, but your intoxicated mind decided the best course of action was to comply without question. Thinking about what he meant hurt too much. Thus, you closed your eyes and the oddest sensation curled within your gut as if someone had pulled a rope from your stomach and was guiding you through a maze with it. Odd analogy, you knew, but it felt appropriate. 

“okay, open your eyes.”

When you did so, you saw the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen before. 

Laid out before you was a bio-luminescent march constructed of glowing waters. Dark lily pads with beautiful flowers floating amongst its bright waters floated aimlessly in the ponds. Cattails of grand sizes dominated the coasts of the waters and odd trees grew throughout the marsh with the very ends of their pine needles glowing in a beautiful light not unlike the water. Better yet, the ceiling of the cavern was decorated with gleaming gems of blues, greens, and teals of every shade. 

Your previous sour mood vanished at the sight. 

Previously, your eyes were teared up from anguish, but now they were wet with tears of joy. It was all just so _beautiful_. You heard a gentle chuckle from Sans beside you as you took in the glorious sight of Waterfall, “so, ya like it, huh?”

You looked over at Sans and wonder how the hell he even did this. _‘Shortcut, huh? Feels like magic to me.’_ Your drunken mind couldn’t conjure up an explanation for the setting. Maybe this was all just a dream. It certainly felt like a dream. Too perfect to be true. 

_‘He’s too perfect to be true.’_ The tipsy thought snuck into your mind and you flushed at the idea. It was so sweet, you felt like you were going to get a cavity. 

Sans smiled and his eye sockets mimicked a pose that only said ‘charming’ as he said, “well then, i’m glad.” His gaze flicked downward momentarily and his face flushed blue. It was a shade so similar to the blue lighting of the marsh, you felt your heart practically leap in your chest, “it’s a good look on you. you should smile like that more often.”

Your mouth parted and you subconsciously blinked in surprise at his words. Then, you laughed quietly and looked down at the dark grass, “If you say so. But uh… how did you do this?”

Sans simply winked at you and pressed a finger to his teeth, “it’s a secret.”

Of course, how could’ve you expected anything different? There was so much more to him than you originally anticipated. Like you were just brushing against the tip of the iceberg. 

You sat down on the mossy ground and stared appreciatively at the water. The dread encompassing your mind was easing away when confronted with the serenity of the atmosphere. Sans sat down beside you and was quiet, almost as if he was waiting for you to speak. Although feelings of uncertainty tugged at your gut, you spoke, “Sorry about all the fuss. I just…” you looked down and brought your knees up to your chest, “I learned something very… disturbing about the barrier.”

Sans waited. 

“Is it true? That a human has to kill a monster in order to cross the barrier?”

The lights of his eyes dimmed and his smile fell. Sans resituated himself on the ground and he picked up a small stone from the ground, his phalanges caressing its smooth surface, “yeah, it’s true.” He admitted with reservation, “a human soul isn’t enough to cross the barrier with. they have to have a monster soul with them too.”

It felt like a hammer had slammed into your heart upon hearing his words. The previous grief you fought earlier returned and you stumbled out words, “I… I don’t… I don’t,” your breath hitched and you hugged your knees. Lightly, you felt Sans’ arm wrap around your shoulders. He was so nearby and you could practically smell him. Aromas associated with old books and tomatoes. It was strangely unique and so Sans. 

Amongst the chaos of the underground, between losing your entire life and being left with practically nothing, this sweet and stout skeleton was the only thing that felt remotely grounding. It wasn’t unlike the eye of a storm, you realized. You wondered if your growing attraction to Sans was simply tied to your desire for something solid and comforting in this ever changing fuck-mess that was becoming your life. 

You swallowed thickly and struggled to look over at Sans- this monster that didn’t _have_ to be here to listen to you, but was deciding to do so anyway, “I don’t want to kill anyone.” 

Beside you, Sans’ shoulders relaxed and his hands drew you in closer to him, “i’m glad.”

“Glad?” 

“yeah,” his bright eyes met yours and he smiled almost sadly, “you don’t strike me as the murdering type. but really, would you do that? choose to stay rather than take a life? is suffering really worth it?”

The question tumbled around in your mind and you came to the conclusion faster than you thought possible, “Yes.” You say, fully and honestly.

You were many things, but a killer wasn’t one of them.

The bones around his eye sockets seemed to crinkle when he smiled at your answer; his voice wavered only slightly when he spoke, “you have no idea how much that means to me, pal.”

You smiled shakily and leaned in towards his body. Although he was a skeleton, the plushness of his coat cushioned his hard edges. His scent was stronger when up close like this and you tried to mask the action of breathing him in. Everything about him right now was just so _real_ compared to your previous life and reality crumbling around you. You felt your throat clench when you stared into the lights of his eyes with a hooded gaze and flushed cheeks. You wanted to say that it was just the alcohol enticing you to be closer, but deep down; you knew that wasn’t the entirety of it. 

Amongst everything- the chaos, the confusion, and the desperation, Sans was solid, true, and sincere. It drew in you in, closer than ever before. You could feel it, his respirations increasing as you closed the distance between the two of you. And ever so gently, you pressed your lips against his check, cupping the other with you hand. The bones of his face were smooth and warmth beneath your lips, and you smiled against them. 

This world was a great storm, and Sans was your anchor to reality.


	10. Bioluminescence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS!
> 
> I finally did it, I worked through that annoying writer's block and managed to post something! And it's all thanks to the overwhelming support you've all given me, I couldn't have done it without you! I know it's a bit short by comparison to my other chapters, but it's something, and it's only the start to a whole new arc I have planned. 
> 
> Seriously guys, I have a SO much planned for this story and we've only begun to scratch the surface. Hell, I have the whole serious chopped up into three major parts with two intermissions in between them, and were not even half-way through the first part. My husband has been helping me out a whole lot with the plot, and we both have something super awesome cooked up for you all to love, hate, and enjoy! Get ready for high jinks, for low jinks, and all the angst mixed with fluff you could ever ask for!
> 
> If you guys have ANY suggestions or questions whatsoever, don't be afraid to shoot me up on my tumblr!

The delicate blue glow of the marsh was as beautiful as Sans’ blush. His mouth was parted ever so slightly as he stared at you, the lights of his eyes brighter than ever before. You offered a gentle smile and caressed the side of his face with your thumb. His bones were so smooth beneath your fingertips. You watched as his eyes flickered around and absorbed the details of your tear-dried face before his hand reached up and mirrored your own. The tips of his phalanges tickled the side of your cheek and his gaze drifted to your lips again, if even for a moment. 

You smiled and let out a quiet and breathy laugh, “Sorry, am I getting ahead of myself?”

Sans shook his head as his hand coasted down your cheek and his thumb lightly traced along your bottom lip. His eyes were hooded and he mimicked the action of swallowing, “n-no. it was just sudden, that’s all.” 

He inched closer and you planted a kiss against his teeth. Although it wasn’t the same as kissing a human, the fluttery feeling within your chest was just as powerful. You felt his boney hand give a gentle squeeze on your shoulder as you two parted and sat with foreheads touching. Your pulse was loud in your ears and you couldn’t prevent the exasperated smile from forming upon your lips. It almost felt absurd how quickly you developed affectionate feelings towards such a strange and foreign concept such as a monster. But here you were, sitting in the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen and locked in an embrace with a skeleton. 

Sans sighed and rubbed his forehead against yours before pulling away with a bashful expression, “so… you’re into skeletons, huh?”

Your smile turned secretive and you chuckled, “You’d be surprised of the sort of things I’m into.” 

When Sans shot you an expression that was a cross between alarmed and curious, you couldn’t help but laugh and tighten your hold around his shoulders, “Don’t’ worry about it, Sans.” 

He let out a few chuckles of his own and leaned against you, “whatever you say, babe. i’m just glad you’re feeling better.”

“Yeah, thanks for that.” You leaned away from him and rested your head on his shoulder, “So what exactly is this place? It’s so different from Snowdin.”

It wasn’t even cold, you realized. The air was thick with humidity and sat at a very pleasant temperature- not too hot, not too cold. Sans replied, “waterfall. it’s just east of snowdin, actually.”

“Really? But there’s no snow here.”

Your head lobbed a bit when Sans shrugged, “heh, yeah. don’t ask me how it works. southeast of here is hotland too.” He looked over with a bit of humor, “i bet you can’t guess what it’s like over there.”

“Um… hot? Geeze, you guys really do lack creativity down here.” you smiled.

Sans ‘hmmed’ and leaned back against his palms. He then looked up at the shining blue lights overhead and spoke with a hushed voice, “y’know, these are the closest thing we have to stars down here.”

You mirrored Sans’ positioning on the ground and leaned back, then admiring the cavern’s ceiling with him. They certainly bore a resemblance to stars, but were much closer and shone in varying shades of blues and teals. Your heart sank a bit from the tone of Sans’ voice when you realized he was right. Monsters down here must’ve only had vague ideas of what the sky looked like. They’ve never woke up in the early hours of the morning to watch the sun rise and breath in the fresh mildew, or the look up at the night sky in the country side to admire the star constellations blanketing overhead. 

And you were never going to see them ever again.

“I’m sorry.” You didn’t know what else to say; nothing seemed appropriate. 

“nah, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for.” You felt something warm brush against your hand and looked down to see Sans’ hand on top of your own. He continued, “so what’s it like? on the surface, i mean.”

The question surprised you a bit and you hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond, and you subconsciously gave a gentle squeeze to his hand, “Ah… well… That’s a big question.” You laughed nervously and gathered your thoughts, “It really depends on where you’re at in the world. Some places are cold all the time like Snowdin. It’s only like that for a few months where I’m from, the rest of the year is kinda warm and wet like this.” 

You paused and snuck a glance at Sans, his eyes were focused and attentive on you and you blushed a bit, “But ah… if you mean what the sky is like, I suppose this place is pretty similar.”

“how is it different?” he asked. _‘Wow, he really is curious about the surface.’_ You thought with mild shock. You’d figured the last thing anyone wanted to do was listen to you rant about something so simple. But perhaps it wasn’t so simple to him. 

“W-well, for one, stars aren’t blue or green like these gems are. And they’re much higher up like tiny white lights that sometimes flicker a bit.” You swallowed thickly when you briefly realized his eyes were kinda like stars too. But there’s no way you could say that aloud though, it was an embarrassing revelation, “People hope that one day, we’ll be able to travel freely in outer space and see other planets. More so than we do already, I guess.”

“wait, humans have left the planet before?” The ridges of Sans’ brow were raised and his smile was wider than it had been. It was one of the few times where his smile didn’t look so unnatural. 

You scratched the back of your head, “Yeah, a few times. Some people stay off planet in space stations for quite a while, actually. We sometimes send drones to explore places we can’t reach yet, like Mars. People fascinate about colonizing other planets all the time. So far, landing on the moon is the best we can do.”

Sans’ expression was ironically star-struck. He looked so happy and surprised you couldn’t help but giggle and tighten your hold on his hand. The ridges of his bones felt so unique against your flesh and you could practically _feel_ the magic thrumming within them. Sans spoke with a voice full of reverence, “that sounds… amazing.”

“Heh, yeah, it is.” You mumbled as you looked down at the mossy ground, “I never figured you for the type to enjoy that kind of stuff, Sans.”

His smile turned into a lop-sided grin, “is that so? what type did you figure me _for_ then?” 

You laughed, “I don’t know. But y’know,” you looked up at him through your eyelashes and smirked, “I think that’s what I like about you, Sans. I just can’t put my finger on you.”

“i dunno what you’re talking about, you’re doing it right now.” He rubbed his thumb against your joined hands for emphasis and you rolled your eyes. 

“You know what I mean.” 

“mmm, i don’t think i do, you’ll have to elaborate.” His face inched closer. 

He stopped just short of another kiss and you couldn’t wipe the grin off your face, “You’re just so different, Sans.”

“different in a good way?”

You let out a short, breathy laugh, “In a great way.” Sans leaned in and cupped the back of your neck with his hand as you shared another kiss. You wondered if he enjoyed it, considering he had no lips. But monster physics never failed to astonish you before, so- 

Your thoughts were interrupted when an odd sensation pressed against your lips- it was soft and… wet? You opened your eyes and flinched at the sight of Sans with his mouth open and a translucent blue tongue visible within his jaws. Not only that, but his left eye was glowing in the very same shade of blue. Your face must’ve betrayed your shock because Sans immediately backed away and the blue eye disappeared- as did the tongue, “s-sorry ‘bout that. didn’t mean to scare ya.”

“What… was that?” you uttered out. 

“uhhh…” he didn’t seem to really know how to explain it either. He looked up at you sheepishly, “magic?” he shrugged. 

_‘Of-fucking-course.’_ You laughed and rubbed your palm against your forehead. How could you have expected anything different? Sans rubbed the back of his neck and blushed blue- that very same blue his tongue and eye were. You supposed that his magic simply manifested as that color. Nervously, you brought up your free hand to cup the side of his face, “You didn’t scare me. It was just unexpected, I guess.” you bit your lip and leaned in close, a part of you couldn’t help but be curious, “You… can try that again though. I mean- if you want to, that is.” Great, now you were blabbering. 

Sans seemed to be shocked by your request, but his expression melted back into contentment soon afterwards as he said, “alright then, if you’re sure.” 

He leaned in and just before you closed your eyes, you could see his left eye turn blue once more. You kissed him once more and barely noticed when his teeth parted and you felt his tongue again. This time, you parted your lips and allowed it to explore your mouth. An unmistakable heat rose within your stomach and between your legs as he did so. His breath was hot and the feeling of his tongue tangling against your own sent shivers down your spine. You accidentally let out a low moan and gripped his shoulder during his ministrations and he reacted readily to it. His boney hand ran through your hair as it massaged the back of your head and he hungrily pressed himself against your body. The heat radiating off from both of you was increasing and you gasped at the sound of the deep groan emitting from within Sans’ chest. 

When the two of you parted, you couldn’t help but stare at him with affectionate eyes. Both of you were breathing heavily and you could just feel the heat from his entire body against you. Sans seemed to be just as enraptured by the kiss and his magic was slow to fade away. His jaw worked a few times as if he was about to speak; you smiled breathlessly and gently touched the bottom of his jaw, caressing the smooth bone underneath your fingertips, “Wow…” was all you could say to him.

He laughed quietly and nodded a bit, “yeah… wow.” It warmed your heart so see that he was just as speechless as you were. 

And then you couldn’t help but think of what _else_ that magic tongue could be used for.

Sans shook his head slightly as he admired you. But then his expression seemed to shift a bit and his eyes darted away for a moment, “we uh… probably shouldn’t stay much longer.”

You tilted your head to the side in confusion, “Why’s that?”

“don’t get me wrong, i’m enjoying myself but…” his smile fell a bit, “remember undyne? papyrus has mentioned her a few times before.”

You nodded, the name was familiar.

“yeah well uh- they’re kinda part of that royal guard papyrus has been wanting to be in. she hunts humans just like he used to. and ah… she happens to live here in waterfall.”

“Oh…” 

He patted your shoulder before standing up; you already missed the closeness and he offered a hand. As he helped you to your feet, he said, “hope you’re ready for another shortcut, babe.”

You blinked a few times and nodded with a brave face, “Yeah. Totally.” 

You weren’t ready at all.

Sans grinned as he took your hand, “alright, close your eyes.” It was the same words he uttered from the first time. You were curious as to what it’d be like to keep them open, but decided against that. He was probably offering that advice for a good reason. You nodded before closing your eyes and that same feeling from before welled up within you, but this time, it felt kind of like spinning in a wheelie chair for too long, and the feeling of nausea soon followed. 

“alright, you can open your eyes again.”

As you did so, you noticed you were both now standing in the living room of the skelebro’s house. You shook your head a few times and blinked rapidly to put your mind back on track. Sans’ arm wrapped around your waist and he smiled at you joyfully- a true smile, “sorry for the field trip, babe. feel any better?”

You smiled and nodded, “Yeah, definitely. Thank you, Sans.”

“anytime.”

You leaned in, pressed a chaste kiss upon his forehead, and sighed against his skull. This was _exactly_ what you needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://scarlet-skelly.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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